For All Eternity
by cherrifire
Summary: Sometimes, you need to do what you can't; try what you haven't; think the way you've never done before. And maybe then, you'll find yourself. What will happen when Bella meets Edward after the freak accident changes her life? Canon pairings, all vamp.
1. Forward

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight books (even thought I _do _own copies), or any of the characters. Those belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**A/N: This is my first fanfic, so _please _review and tell me how I'm doing. I used a part out of New Moon for Carlisle's memory, but I changed it a bit to fit the story. Also, in this story, Charlie has _absolutely no relation _to Bella (you might want to keep that in mind, or else his reaction to the accident will seem really weird). I also made up Dr. Blume; I don't think he's in the real story.**

**Anyways, enough with my rambling. Enjoy! (I hope)**

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Forward

Dr. Carlisle Cullen's peaceful and predictable day at the Forks Hospital was suddenly disrupted by one of his colleagues. A very distraught Dr. Blume slammed open Dr. Cullen's office door and rushed in, gulping at the air and clutching his cell phone.

"Carlisle!" he gasped, still trying to catch his breath. "Come quick! Accident. . . Forks. . . car crash. . . need medical help!"

Carlisle was alert at once. "Where?" he asked sharply, immediately springing up from his chair at an inhuman speed.

"Side of road on the 101, South Forks Avenue!" was the breathless reply. Carlisle was out of the room and in his black Mercedes S55 AMG before Dr. Blume had time to blink. He started the engine and floored the gas pedal, heading towards Highway 101. It was fortunate that today was overcast; he didn't want his family's secret to leak out.

In less than five minutes, Carlisle had arrived at the scene of the accident. He rushed out of his car towards the lump of burning metal on the side of the road that had once been a van. Charlie, the police chief of the small city of Forks, Washington, hurried towards him.

"We managed to get the people in the car out," he explained. "But it doesn't look good to me." Carlisle nodded to show that he understood. His gold eyes darkened. It was dangerous to move an injured person at the best of times, but he supposed that a little further injury would be better than burning to death.

Carlisle walked towards his patients as calmly as he could; he knew that the other workers here looked up to him for support. His stomach churned when he looked at the family of three lying in a pool of blood on the pavement. He was lucky that all his years of training had steeled him for the sight of all the blood.

The obvious father, a tall but stocky man, had a large gash on his forehead, several broken limbs, and his neck turned at an unnatural angle. Carlisle knelt down and gently felt for the man's pulse. He found none.

"He is dead," he declared soberly to Charlie. The police chief's eyes darkened. Carlisle reached for the girl next. She was so young; probably just sixteen or seventeen, about the same appearing age as his son. To his relief, the young woman was still alive, but wouldn't be for much longer. Her long brown hair was already soaked with blood, her skin unnaturally pale, almost as light as Carlisle's.

Finally, he turned to the woman. She was unconscious, but alive. He stanched her and the girl's wounds and stabilized their broken limbs as best as he could, then lifted them onto the stretchers. After directing the ambulance to Forks Hospital, he climbed into his one car.

The woman would most likely not survive, with her severe wounds. She would die in hours even with his medical attention. There was nothing he could do for the girl either. She was even worse off than her mother. Unless. . .

Carlisle shook his head fiercely. _There is nothing to guarantee that she would like this kind of life better than death,_ he thought to himself firmly. _Besides, according to Edward, it's probably worse. . ._

He made his decision as he parked outside the hospital. The girl and the woman had already been put into their rooms, which was where Carlisle was headed right now. He decided to check on the woman first. She was still unconscious.

As he leaned over to check on her broken ribs, he felt a tugging on his sleeve. He immediately looked down to find the woman staring at him with wide green eyes.

"Where's Bella?" she rasped.

"Ma'am," Carlisle replied, gently prying her fingers from his shirt. He noticed that she didn't even flinch at his ice-cold touch. "You should rest. You are not strong enough to be talking."

She glared at him. "Tell me where my daughter is," she demanded, though her voice was weak. Carlisle didn't have the heart to resist her.

"She is in a different room," he answered. The woman closed her eyes.

"It doesn't look good, does it?" she asked quietly. Carlisle sighed.

"I'm not going to lie; she probably won't make it another day." There was a slightly awkward silence as he continued to monitor her heartbeat. Then, unexpectedly, the woman's eyes flew open. They fixed on him with a sharp, piercing green.

"You must save her." Her voice was no longer so weak. "You are different; you can do what others cannot. You _must_ let her live! Give her a chance at survival!"

Carlisle was shocked. This woman knew . . . she knew his secret, and she wanted him to make her daughter one of _them_? His mind suddenly flashed back a century, to the time his first son, Edward was changed. . .

_It was the year 1918, and the Spanish Influenza was ravaging through England. Carlisle was one of the doctors in charge of the victims in the hospital. In the hospital, Carlisle had grown rather attached to one of the patients. . ._

"'_Her name was Elizabeth. Elizabeth Masen. Her husband, Edward Senior, never regained consciousness in the hospital. He died in the first wave of the influenza. But Elizabeth was alert until almost the very end. . . _

'_Elizabeth worried obsessively over her son Edward. She hurt her own chances of survival trying to nurse him from her sickbed. Carlisle expected that he would go first, he was so much worse off than she was. When the end came for her, it was very quick. It was just after sunset, and Carlisle had just arrived to relieve the doctors who'd been working all day. That was a hard time to pretend – there was so much work to be done, and he had no need of rest. How he hated to go back to his house, to hide in the dark and pretend to sleep while so many were dying._

'_He went to check Elizabeth and her son first. He had grown attached – always a dangerous thing to do considering the fragile nature of humans. He could see at once that she'd taken a bad turn. The fever was raging out of control, and her body was too weak to fight anymore._

'_She didn't look weak, though, when she glared up at him from her cot._

'"_Save him!" she commanded Carlisle in the hoarse voice that was all her throat could manage._

'"_I'll do everything in my power," he promised her, taking her had. The fever was so high, she probably couldn't even tell how unnaturally cold his felt. Everything felt cold to her skin._

'"_You must," she insisted, clutching at his hand with enough strength that he wondered if she wouldn't pull through the crisis after all. Her eyes were hard, like stones, like emeralds. "You must do everything in _your_ power. What others cannot do, that is what you must do for my Edward. . ."'" (page 39-40, New Moon)_

They had the same knowing green eyes and smooth tone, and they both had asked him to save their children. But could he do it?

The woman saw his hesitation. "Please. . ." she was begging now, her voice once again soft and feeble, as if each word hurt her bleeding throat, which it probably did. "Please, doctor. She is only seventeen! She still has so much in front of her . . . so much. . ." She looked like she was fighting the urge to close her eyes. She was fading, fast. "Promise me. . ."

Those brilliant green eyes made up his mind. "Alright," he agreed. "I promise."

The woman smiled and closed her emerald eyes. "Thank you." Carlisle could barely make out the quiet words, even with his enhanced hearing. Her breaths turned pained and raspy, then suddenly stopped. Shocked, Carlisle listened for her heartbeat. He found none.

Carlisle got over his shock quickly. He had promised the woman, and he was going to keep true to that vow. He raced as fast as he could out of her room and into the girl's. He knew he had to be fast if he wanted the girl to survive without the respirator. Thankfully, to the other doctors and the security cameras, he would only be a barely distinguishable white blur. He unhooked the girl from the machines, turned to the room door to leave, and ran right into Dr. Blume.

"C-Carlisle?" Dr. Blume stuttered. "Where are you taking the girl?" Carlisle thought fast.

"She is dead," he answered, hoping that his status would keep his colleague from questioning his opinion. "Before her mother died, she wanted me to bury her daughter in a special place. I'm going now." Thankfully, Dr. Blume believed him.

"So, the woman is dead?" he asked soberly. Carlisle nodded, impatient to go on with his promise. Dr. Blume nodded slowly and backed away to let Dr. Cullen through the door. "I won't bother you then," he said, walking away.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Carlisle raced as fast as he could while still passing for a human out of the hospital. His car would be too slow; he would run. He turned towards to forest at the side of the road. Once in the cover of the trees, he began to run full out.

After making sure there were no humans around, Carlisle bowed his head to check on the girl. To his relief, she was still alive, but barely. Carefully, he leaned his head down and sank his teeth into the girl's neck.

_Edward, tell Esme to get a room ready. We have a . . . guest, _he thought, knowing his adopted son would hear him. He kept his teeth in the girl's neck as he let his venom take over.

**That's the forward! I'm probably going to update reeeeeeeal slow; I'm a slow writer. I'll try to get chapter one up by Friday, latest.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed what I have so far!**

**-Scribbles**


	2. Chapter 1: Changes

**A/N: Oops, really sorry everyone who read my story earlier when the first chapter one was up. Like I said, I'm new at this and I'm trying to figure out correctly how this works. Anyways, this is the _real _chapter one. I finished it a _lot _faster than I thought.**

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**PART I**

Chapter 1: Changes

I gazed out of the van window at the trees rushing past me, utterly bored out of my mind. There had been nothing but trees, trees, trees, and more trees ever since we had entered Washington. Oh, and the occasional rock.

I drummed my fingers absentmindedly on my leg. Even though my exams were coming up, my mother, Renee, insisted that she, my stepfather Phil and I drive up to Olympic National Park and camp in the park for a weekend. We could have just taken a plane, but my mother wanted to "see the lovely sights on the way to Washington. It was a long drive from Phoenix, Arizona to Washington, but we stopped many times along the long car ride. Thankfully, it was spring break, so I wouldn't be missing much of high school.

"Hey, look you two," Phil interrupted my thoughts. "We only have another hour or so before we get to the park where I made a reservation for us." I groaned.

"We've already been driving for two days!" I sighed. Renee gave me a look. _Stop your whining and enjoy this trip for what it's worth,_ the look clearly said. I snapped my mouth shut. I was bored, but not to the extent that I was going to upset my mother.

"That's great, honey," she told Phil, pretending I had never spoken. Then we once again lapsed into a dull silence.

I wished I were driving. I had only gotten my driver's license three weeks ago, and I was eager to get my hands on a steering wheel every time I could. Maybe then this trip would not be so boring.

Suddenly, my mother's frantic scream brought me out of my thoughts. "Phil, watch out!" My eyes flew to the road, where a deer was standing, frozen in fear, directly in the path of my mother and stepfather's car. Phil yanked at the steering wheel, trying to avoid the young buck, but instead crashed the Honda CR-V into a tree at the side of the road.

My mother's scream tore through the air as the car bounced off the trunk and was forced backwards, only to be embraced by another enormous pine tree. My head slammed into the passenger-side window with enough force to crack the glass, and I felt something hot and sticky trickle down my cheek, into my eyes, blinding me. Renee screamed again, and I turned to see Phil with his head dangling sideways at an awkward position, his eyes blank and glassy, a trickle of blood leaking from his mouth.

The pain was tearing at me. My eyes were struggling to stay open from the pain. I could feel the blood flowing from the many places that the broken glass at cut at me, and my ribs were crushed by the front seat, which had been shoved back at the first impact. My breaths were coming more raggedly now, each so painful it felt as if my chest were being split open at each one.

"Mom . . . ?" I managed to croak, before my eyes drifted shut and I lost sense of everything going on around me.

Through my haze of darkness, I was vaguely aware of rough but careful hands dragging me out of the car, and laying me on a cold, scratching surface. I let out a weak whimper when something banged against my chest, causing another ripple of pain to wash through me. Then I was being loaded onto a more flexible surface and into a van, it seemed. On every bump of the road, the pain would flare angrily, and then slowly subside a bit, only to burst out again at the next jolt.

I didn't know how long the ride lasted, or how I ended up in the hospital, but the next thing I knew I was in cold, hard arms. They picked me up and walked for a distance, then stopped.

"C-Carlisle? Where are you taking the girl?" I faintly hear an uncertain voice say.

"She is dead," The reply was in a voice that was both sharp and musical, yet there was a layer of sadness coating the words. I was dead? I felt very alive, especially with the pain wracking at me every second. Unless I was in hell, but people down there wouldn't be wondering if a person down there was alive. . .

"Before her mother died, she wanted me to bury . . ." The melodic voice continued to say something else, but I could hear no more. Renee was dead? My sweet, caring, if sometimes scatter-brained mother was gone? My mind flashed to the things we had done together, the many things I had taken for granted; going to the mall and giggling over ridiculous outfits, struggling through my math homework together, discussing the best books in the living room on the sofa with a blanket on our knees . . . they would never happen again.

Before I had time to properly mourn my loss, the arms that held me were moving again, startlingly fast. I could tell we were outside by the sharp tang of earth in my nostrils and the cold spring wind on my cheeks. Then, something sharp and hard was at my neck, sinking into my skin and into my vein.

Suddenly my neck was on fire. The pain had grown to an unbearable stage, and it felt as if my very blood was being burned. The hard thing was still implanted in my skin, into my blood. With every thud of my heart, the horrible pain broadened its range, to my shoulders, arms, chest, and finally my legs. I had been too beat to scream, but the pain was giving me a new edge. My eyes flew open.

"Make it stop!" I screamed at the person carrying me. "Stop it! I'm burning! Stop it! Just kill me!" Right now, death was better than this pain. The man looked down at me with pitying golden eyes. His chiseled features were pulled into a frown, and his blond hair was swept back by the wind as he ran so quickly my surroundings were a blur. Even through my veil of pain, I was amazed by his unearthly beauty.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured, and I immediately recognized the voice that had announced that Renee was dead. "It'll be over in three days or so." I screamed in despair inside. In my state, it would be a miracle if I managed to last two hours in this fierce, blinding pain. It was tearing at me, and I started writhing uncontrollably in his arms, even though I knew it wouldn't make it easier for him to carry me.

He ignored my squirming as he brought me to a startlingly large mansion in the middle of the forest. He didn't hesitate, but brought me into the house. I could feel that we were going up stairs when his smooth stride began to grow rougher. He then gently set me down on a bed that I didn't know was there faster than I could take another breath.

"Esme, Edward," I heard him say quietly. To my surprise, two people just as beautiful as him appeared behind him. I felt their eyes on me, and snapped my own shut from the pain. Another unearthly screech wrenched itself loose from my lips.

"The poor girl," a gentle and soft voice murmured. I felt an abnormally cold hand soothingly touch my forehead. "You don't need to explain," the voice added to the man that had brought me here. "Edward has already told me." I flinched as the hand came to rest on the cut crashing into the car window had given me. The hand immediately pulled away. I wished it would stay. It was a wonderful contrast to the fire I felt in me. There was a silence as I fidgeted on the bed. Then a voice spoke up.

"I can't hear her thoughts, Carlisle," the voice was like velvet, melodic and, at the moment, sharp and confused. _Hear my thoughts?_ I repeated to myself. Obviously, this was abnormal for the family, because the next voice I heard was the older man's, Carlisle's, and it was shocked and uncertain.

"You can't?" he asked. "How could this be? Maybe it is because it's her transformation?" I opened my eyes a crack to see a striking boy with golden brown hair shaking his head.

"This didn't happen with Emmett, or Esme, or Rosalie," again, that beautiful voice.

"Strange. . ." I could hear Carlisle mutter.

Then the bronze haired boy stood up abruptly. "I need to get out of here," he announced, his voice suddenly strained. Carlisle looked surprised, but he didn't comment.

"Alright," he agreed instead. "But come back in three days, when her change is finished. And bring the others." The boy nodded, and was out of the room in a white flash.

_Three days_, I mused. With my injuries, I doubted I would survive one. But even as the thought came to my mind, I could feel the burning in my blood slowly healing my injuries, even as it coursed through me with a harsh, blinding pain. I could feel my crushed chest slowly push itself outward, my shattered legs slowly mending themselves.

It was so strange. While the fire coursed through me, it healed me, lessening the pain and adding to it at the same time. I was barely aware of anything that happened around me. Time had lost its importance for me. I didn't know how long the fire filled me, pounding at the same tempo as my heartbeat. I only knew that it was a very long time before the pain finally began to lessen.

The fire finally began to leave my fingers, leaving them blissfully cool. Slowly, it pulled itself out of my hands. But even as the my wrists cooled, I felt the fire concentrate in my heart. My screams were unheard by myself; I only felt the sharp throbbing of my heart. Eventually, my entire body was free of the fire, but the pain centered in my chest only grew worse.

My heart beat faster and faster, trying to avoid the fire, but it was no use. I could feel its tiredness, and knew it was loosing the fight against the pain. _Thank god_, I thought. _I'm about to die. Thank god the pain will stop then. _Then, after one final, weak thump, my heart lay still.

**That's chapter one. I don't think chapter two will be out that fast; I already had chapter one mapped out in my head before I started the story. I have no clue what I'm going to do in chapter two.**

**Anyways, sorry again for the previous chapter one. I think I know how to update now. :)**

**-Scribbles**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight books (even thought I _do _own copies), or any of the characters. Those belong to Stephenie Meyer.**


	3. Chapter 2: Awakening

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight books (even thought I _do _own copies), or any of the characters. Those belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**A/N: W. O. W. 24. R. E. V. I. E. W. S. I don't know about you, but that is a _lot _to me. You guys are ah-mazing!  
Anyways, this chapter was kinda hard to write since I have no clue how it would feel to have your senses heightened that way. I read Breaking Dawn, and it did help a bit. This is more of my version, though, and I think I might have rambled. I changed Rosalie's personality around a little; I don't really like her in the real story. I don't really like this chapter either, but it was the best I could come up with. I'm sorry if I disappointed you all. :)  
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_My heart beat faster an__d faster, trying to avoid the fire, but it was no use. I could feel its tiredness, and knew it was loosing the fight against the pain._ Thank god_, I thought._ I'm about to die. Thank god the pain will stop then_. Then, after one final, weak thump, my heart lay still._

Part I

Chapter 2: Awakening

But I was not dead. That much I knew. I didn't know how it was possible for my heart to not beat and me to be alive, or if I were even alive at all. I just knew that I was not dead. Because if I could hear, smell, and feel everything crystal-clearly, I was definitely somehow still on the earth.

I could hear seven individuals breathing, the air rushing in and out of their lungs. A bird trilled somewhere outside, and the sound hit my eardrums as clearly as if it were chirping in my ear. Somewhere off in the distance, a car rumbled on a gravel road, along with hundreds, it seemed, of others roaring away.

I breathed in deeply, realizing that my breaths had stopped with my heart. It felt wrong. My lungs filled, but there was no relief, no sudden comfort like after you've been holding your breath too long. Instead, the scent that hit my nose was so sharp and enhanced that it frightened me. I could smell so many things at once, yet seperate them and classify them; a tangy, wood-like scent that I identified as trees; the sharp, pungent odor of gasoline; a salty, metallic smell that made my stomach reel and my throat burn; and, strongest of all, seven other individual scents. It was a special aroma, something I could not give a name for, but so sweet and pleasant that it seemed like a scent of its own.

My eyes fluttered open, and my breaths stopped in shock. Everything was so _precise_. I could focus my eyes on everything at once, from the peripheral of my vision to the center. Above me, I could see every single grain of wood on the ceiling, every bump and dent on the walls around me. I could see every color of the spectrum in the light that shined in from the large window in the wall, plus a beautiful eight color that I could give no name to. Then I realized that seven other people were standing around me where I lay, their eerily beautiful faces looking down anxiously at me. I instinctively jerked away from the pale strangers, my body wrenching backward and propelling me over their heads to land gracefully on my feet behind them, my back against the wall.

I froze in shock at what I had done. When my heart had been beating, I was the clumsiest person on two legs. It didn't make sense for me to have flipped myself _over_ somebody and not give myself broken ribs. I didn't have time to explore this subject more before a blond man approached me, his hands held out and open, like a crime suspect showing the police that they were unarmed.

"Don't be afraid," he soothed. I immediately recognized the smooth voice of the man who carried me from the hospital. Carlisle. "We're not going to hurt you." I let him walk close enough to me so that we were in a distance suitable for conversation.

"What-what's going on?" I asked him, then immediately gasped at the sound of my voice. It wasn't the soft, slightly uneven tone I was expecting, but a melodic, singing sound, like a soft ring of a bell. "What happened to me?"

Carlisle didn't answer, instead asking a question of his own. "Do you remember what happened to you before you woke up?" I frowned, searching my memories. Everything that happened until about five minutes ago was hazy and blurred, and I had to focus completely to remember the details.

"We-we were driving," I said slowly. "Phil tried to miss the deer, and then . . ." I gasped suddenly remembering. "Renee! Oh, Renee!"

I collapsed onto the lush carpet, my hands covering my face, my shoulders shaking from my sobs. I felt slender arms gently wrapping around me, and a gentle voice murmuring, "Shhh, it's going to be alright. Everything's going to be fine."

Through my grief, I vaguely realized that even though I felt like my chest was going to burst from my grief, no tears leaked from my eyes. This realization stopped my cries at once. "What's going on?" I asked again, my voice trembling, but still sounding like wind chimes.

"This is . . . difficult to explain," Carlisle answered after a pause. "But the thing is, you are now one of us." I frowned.

"One of you?"

"Yes." This time the reply came from the caramel haired woman who still had her arms wrapped around me. Her lovely golden eyes were sympathetic as she watched my confused expression. "We are vampires."

There was a shocked silence. Well, shocked on my part. The others watched cautiously for my reaction.

"Vampires," I repeated disbelievingly. They all nodded. Then I felt anger rise up inside me like a furious storm as I realized what they were doing. "_Vampires?_ You want me to believe that you're - we're - all _vampires_?" They nodded again, and my fury grew. I wrenched myself away from the arms enveloping me. "Stop it!" I cried. "This is a sick joke! Renee is _dead_! Dead! And you're all sitting here, not doing anything - we're not - there's no such - you can't be - stop it!" My rage had made complete sentences impossible. "We aren't vampires!"

Carlisle shook his head, his golden eyes sad. "We are," he insisted gently. I glared at him.

"Prove it," I snarled, my voice cold and menacing. "Prove that I'm a vampire." He inspected me for a moment, then dipped his head.

"Very well," he agreed. "Rosalie, please bring us a mirror." I watched as an overly beautiful girl with fair hair nodded. She became a white blur that raced out of the room and was back behind Carlisle before I could blink. She gave him the elaborately made hand mirror that she was gripping, then stepped back. Confused, I watched as Carlisle raised the mirror so that I could clearly see my reflection. I gasped.

In the mirror, exactly where my reflection should have been, was a beautiful girl. Her lustrous mahogany hair fell in graceful waves around her pale, heart-shaped face. Her features were delicate and angular, but in the graceful curves of her face, I found myself. I raised a trembing hand to touch my cheek. The girl in the mirror did the same. I watched my fingers wander up my cheekbones and under my eyes. Then, seeing my eyes for a first time, I cried out and jerked away.

My eyes were a deep, malicious red, glowing like rubies. They were an almost comical blood-red around the edge, but darkening to a deep maroon near the pupils. They were depthless and cold, like the eyes of a malevolent spirit. It was such a large difference from the others' serene golden irises that I instinctively reached out a hand and positioned it in between myself and the horrible crimson reflection.

"Do you believe us now?" a petite girl with spiky black hair chirped in a light, pixie-like voice.

"Ugh," I said faintly, keeping my hand in front of me. "I don't know." I didn't relax until Carlisle let the mirror fall to his side. "My reflection doesn't prove that we're vampires," I argued once the shock had worn off. "For all I know, what I saw in the mirror was just an illusion." Carlisle sighed.

"I need more evidence to make her believe me," I heard him mutter to himself. His voice surprised me; it was deeper, more pure, and filled with emotion: exasperation, understanding, compassion, pity, and a flow of other feelings that I could not recognize. Stranger still, only a bronze-haired boy behind him who had his back to us seemed to hear him. I didn't have time to register this before Carlisle spoke again, using his normal voice, "Do you need more proof?"

I nodded, confused. Didn't he just tell himself that he needed more evidence in order for me to understand? _He must be trying to put off his explanation_, I mused. "Do you turn into a bat? Sleep in coffins? Burn in sunlight?" I challenged, sure that I was triumphant, and Carlisle was going to admit his prank. Instead, he looked amused.

"Hollywood doesn't get much right," he laughed. "Those are all myths." I smirked.

"In other words, you don't."

He shook his head. "No, we cannot turn into bats, we do not sleep in coffins, nor do we burn in sunlight. We cannot even sleep!" he explained patiently. I glared at him.

"That doesn't prove anything!" I scowled. Why didn't he just give me the proof?

Carlisle must have noticed my impatience, because he sighed and said, "Alice, run over here." To my surprise, the girl with with the spiky hair, vanished from her perch by the window and reappeared half a foot behind him. My annoyance disappeared in at once.

"H-How did you do that?" I gasped. She smiled.

"Easy," she sang, her voice a delicate bell. "I ran." I gawked at her.

"You ran," I echoed incredulously. Her smile widened as she nodded.

"Vampire, remember?"

I shook my head, dazed. "I'm hallucinating," I mumbled. The girl rolled her golden eyes.

"If you're not a vampire, explain to me why you are alive and your heart is not beating," she argued.

"I-I. . ." I was speechless. She was right. There was no explanation for the absence of my heartbeat. Unless. . . could they possibly be telling the truth?

"Carlisle?" I asked cautiously. He smiled at me.

"Would you like me to tell you what has happened?" he suggested. I nodded uncertainly.

"Now, as I was saying, we are vampires," he continued his explanation. "After your car crash, it was clear that you were not going to survive. Your mother begged me to save you, though, even there I could do nothing of the sort without changing you. But she insisted, so - "

"Wait," I interrupted. "Change me?" Carlisle nodded in comfirmation.

"Change you into a vampire," he resumed. "I managed to slip you out of the hospital and bite you. Vampires have a special venom. When that venom enters ones bloodstream and is allowed to spread for around three days, the victim is changed into a vampire. Sometimes it is the only way to be saved from a fatal condition."

I stood still, trying to digest all this new information. The facts fit, that was certain. It was logical, not like something he had invented. And a prankster would certainly not cause Phil and Renee's deaths (my dormant heart clenched painfully) just to play a joke. If the fiery pain I had felt was from the venom he had given me, then I was really an immortal, technically dead, mythical creature. Nothing human had given me my heightened senses either. There was no other explanation. I was a vampire.

"I . . . I think I understand," I said slowly, reluctantly.

Unexpectedly, the pixie-voiced girlf laughed, the bright singing of a bird, and said, "Carlisle, I think you gave her enough information to give her a heart attack." The room filled with laughter at this apparent inside joke, and the tense atmosphere lifted at once.

After the guffaws and giggles died down and I had been thoroughly confused, the boy with curly black hair and a colossally muscular build noticed my bewilderment and explained, "Our hearts don't beat, remember?" Oh. I began to feel very excluded.

Thankfully, a tall . . . vampire (I shuddered) with blonde hair strode over to me and stretched out his hand. "I'm Jasper Whitlock." His voice was smooth, with a hint of a Southern accent.

"B-Bella Swan," I replied, taking his hand and shaking it, silently thanking him fervently for saving me from being left out again. The girl with spiky black hair immediately bounced over next.

"I'm Alice Cullen!" she chirped. I reached out my hand again, but she ignored it and threw her arms around me. "Welcome to the family!" I felt relief fill inside me as each of the others began to introduce themselves.

"Emmett McCarty," the giant with curly black hair boomed. I cringed away, frightened by his monstrous build, as he walked towards me. To my surprise, he pulled me into an embrace tighter than Alice's. "Welcome, sister," I heard his deep, bass voice say into my ear before he set me gently down. The breathtakingly beautiful girl who had given Carlisle the mirror strolled over to me next.

"I'm Rosalie Hale," she sang, wrapping her arms around me in a light and gentle hug. "I'm so glad you're my sister," she whispered into my ear. "Alice is _much _too enthusiastic for my liking." Apparently, Alice heard her anyways, and she planted her fists on her hips and glared at Rosalie while the others laughed at her expression.

As soon as Rosalie pulled away, I was enveloped in another pair of arms. "My name is Esme," the woman with caramel-colored hair told me. In her arms, I relaxed slightly, her motherly aura comforting me. Carlisle held out his hand after she stepped back.

"I'm Carlisle," he informed me. I took his hand cautiously and shook it.

"I know," I said. He looked at me with confusion in his eyes, and I explained, "That's what Esme called you when you were changing me."

"Ah," he nodded. "Of course. Anyways, welcome, Bella." His eyes brightened as he smiled. He stepped back and I turned to the last person in the room, the only one who hadn't introduced themself, the only one who had seemed to hear Carlisle's comment after I had seen myself in the mirror. The boy with yellowish brown hair turned around.

My eyes were met by those of a bronze-haired god. His pale features were chiseled to perfection, his warm honey-gold eyes breathtaking as he looked into mine. He strode forward to greet me with long, graceful strides, his golden brown hair a perfect tousled mess.

"Hello, Bella," he said in a smooth, velvet voice. "My name is Edward." His perfect, formal articulation could have only been picked up from an earlier century **(A/N: From _New Moon_)** . I was speechless, gazing at his breathtaking beauty. He stared back at me, his forehead furrowing in concentration. Suddenly, there was no one in the room but me and him, and I fell into the endless depths of his topaz eyes. i couldn't tell if we stayed that way for what could have been five minutes or five seconds, I was too lost in his eyes. Then, abruptly, he broke the connection, a frown apparent on his face.

Edward turned away from me and walked past me, and even with Esme's disapproving eyes boring a hole into his back, he left the room and did not return.

* * *

**Well, there's Bella's reaction to the news. I hoped I got it at least close to realistic, please review and tell me how I did.**

**Please don't kill me for letting Edward walk out, I have my plans (cackles evilly).**

**-Scribbles**


	4. Chapter 3: Challenges

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight books (even thought I _do _own copies), or any of the characters. Those belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed! Special thanks to _hpfanf_ for your criticism; I went back and added a bit to the last chapter, so its kinda different now.  
On another subject, lets play Would You Rather! Would you rather have longer chapters and less frequent updates, or shorter chapters and an update about once a day (except for weekends)? I prefer the second one, but please review and tell me!**

* * *

_Edward turned away from me and walked away, and even with Esme's disapproving eyes boring a hole into his back, he left the room and did not return._

Part I

Chapter 3: Challenges

I froze, confusion and hurt rooting me to where I stood. A sharp, guttural noise sounded behind me, like the snarling of a lion.

"How dare he!" Esme hissed, her gold eyes flashing. "So rude!" Her eyes then turned worried. "He's not usually like this."

As hurt as I was, I couldn't bear to see the kind, motherly Esme so angry at him. "I'm sorry," I said in a small voice. Esme immediately turned her head to face me. I cringed, waiting for the sharp words to come.

"It's not your fault, dear," she reassured, her eyes softening. "Edward is being unreasonable." Then I heard Rosalie's voice.

"And Carlisle was so sure that she was going to be the one for him," her voice sighed. The voice had a distinct Rosalie quality, but it was just as pure and open as Carlisle's had been when only I and Edward had heard him. As if on a cue, I heard what sounded like Edward snarl from somewhere outside. I flinched, the sound was so deep and menacing.

Carlisle misunderstood my action. "Are you thirsty?" he asked, concerned. I cocked my head to one side, confused.

"Thirsty?" I echoed.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Your throat should be burning uncomfortably." As he spoke, the my throat ripped with a sharp burning, like a flame. My hand instinctively flew up to cover it. Carlisle nodded, as if that was exactly what he had expected.

"Alice, Jasper, Emmett, why don't you take Bella hunting?" he suggested. I was still confused, but Alice looked delighted.

"Perfect!" she chirped. She darted forward, snatched my hand and started dragging me towards the door. Jasper and Emmett followed, looking amused.

Then I understood. It was as if something clicked in my brain as I finally made the connections: the thirst, hunting, my blood-red eyes, Alice's enthusiasm. The thing that all vampires needed to survive. The one thing I did not consider when I accepted myself being a vampire.

"No!" I screeched, yanking my hand away from Alice's grip, my eyes wild with terror. "No! No, no, no!" Alice looked at me, bewildered. I backed away, afraid that they would force me to drink some innocent's blood. "No! I can't! I won't!"

Carlisle tried to calm me. "Bella, calm down," he said calmly. "You need to hunt." I shook my head, terrified. I would starve myself to death before I drank a single drop of human blood.

"I won't, I won't drink human blood!" I yelled, panicked. Carlisle took one step towards me, and that was all it took for me to snap. I bolted away from him, away from the golden eyes of the other five murderers, and out of the room. I raced out of the giant mansion, barely noticing that I was running so fast the trees around me were a blur of green. All I knew was that I had to run, as far away as I could, far away from the seven vampires who fed on humans.

I forced my legs to pump faster and faster, propelling me away from the others. Somehow, I managed to dodge every tree in front of me, not crashing into a single one. Comforted by this fact, I forced myself on.

Suddenly, there was a monstrous crash like a roll of thunder as I ran into something pale, familiar, and definitely solid. The action send me flying backwards, into the embrace of a tall pine tree. The vast trunk split with a sharp crunch, and I fell to the ground in an tangled heap.

"What are you doing here?" a sharp, musical voice called. I would recognize that velvet anywhere. I leapt to my feet and my ruby eyes met the topaz ones of Edward Cullen.

His golden eyes were cold as he looked down at me, confusion and irritation clear in their endless depths. His bronze hair was windblown from running, his perfect features pulled into a scowl. I felt embarassment flow through me as I realized that I had run into him.

"I'm sorry for crashing into you," I said shyly. His eyes softened.

"It's alright," he sighed, his voice still hard. "I suppose I should have been watching where I was running." He sighed again and ran a hand through his already messy golden brown hair. I looked at him curiously.

"Why are you here?" I asked. He flinched.

"I . . . needed some fresh air." I could tell by his hesitance that he was lying, but he asked another question before I could ask him more. "Are you going to explain to me why you are out in the woods, running as fast as you can and completely alone?" he probed.

I paled as I remembered why I was fleeing. I realized faintly that I should be running away from him too, in case he forced me to hunt, but I couldn't make my legs run away from this godly vampire. "Alice was going to take me hunting," I said, suddenly terrified again. Edward frowned.

"Is there a problem with that?" he asked. My eyes widened.

"Of course there is!" I burst out at him. "I can't just kill someone to drink their blood! I can't murder others! I'd rather starve than drink human blood! I can't do it. I just can't." My voice quieted at the end, and I looked down at my feet, afraid that I had said too much and that this beautiful being would think I was crazy to ignore the instincts of a vampire. To my surprise, I felt a slender finger gently lift my chin up so that I was staring into Edward's beautiful topaz eyes.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," he murmured. His voice made my name seem like a song. I shivered as his warm breath blew into my face, a sweet scent just off of honey, lilac, and sunshine **(A/N: I edited the phrase from Breaking Dawn)**. His eyes were glowing with amusement. With a start, I realized that his perfect face was just inches away from mine. He opened his mouth to speak.

"What color are my eyes?" he asked, his voice now lighter, the harsh tone gone. I frowned confused.

"Gold?" I replied, my uncertainty making the answer into a question.

"Exactly," Edward confirmed. "It is our diet that makes our family so unique to the vampire world." My frown deepened. "Our eyes are gold because we don't drink human blood, like those whose eyes are red. We only feed on animals." He paused. "Of course, human blood makes us stronger, but it's a small price to pay." It took only a second for this to sink into my vampire brain.

"So," I said slowly. "You're saying that I don't need to murder anyone?" Edward chuckled, and the sound took my breaths away. It was a beautiful sound, not like Alice's wind chimes or Emmett's deep booms, but a lighter, sweeter tone, a little like a choir humming a church hymn.

"No," he answered my question. "You don't." I beamed at him, delighted at this new piece of information. Then, my delight faded as I realized something else.

"Why are _my_ eyes red?" I asked, horrified. I hadn't drunk any human blood that I was aware of, but my eyes were as far away from gold as the sky was to the bottom of the ocean. The thought of me hunting down an innocent victim then sucking them dry was repulsing.

Edward did not seemed anxious at this. "You were just changed," he explained. "There is still some human blood left in you." If I were still human, I would have blushed.

"Oh," I said, feeling stupid that I had not figured that out by myself.

"Your eyes will darken in a few months," Edward continued. "If you keep to the animal blood diet, they'll turn amber, then gold." That was a relief. It would be slightly disconcerting to see ruby eyes every time I looked into a mirror.

Edward suddenly frowned, then stepped back. I did so too, after I realized we were too close to eachother. His eyes were once again hard as he said reluctantly but politely, "I can take you hunting if you'd like."

My eyes brightened. I could not turn down an offer from a creature as perfect as Edward. "Alright," I agreed. But his frown grew, and I felt hurt and rejection flowing through me. Why did Edward hate me so much?

My emotions must have shown in my eyes, because Edward smiled hastily, one side of his lips raising higher than the other, and held out his hand. Even thought I could tell it was forced, the crooked smile took my breath away. "Are you ready?" he asked. I took his hand, and shivered when I touched his warm, satiny skin.

"No," I replied. "Let's go!" He laughed, and I shivered again at the beautiful sound.

"Close your eyes," Edward instructed. I did so. "Now listen." I did. I could hear everything: Edward's quiet breathing, a bird singing somewhere in the distance, and, somewhere close to me, a quiet thumping sound, like a heartbeat. My throat burned with a sharp flame as something metallic and sweet met my nostrils. The smell of blood should have made me fall to the forest floor in a faint like when I was human, but now it smelled appetizing and irresistable. "Go with your instincts," I heard Edward whisper into my ear, and I did.

I gave myself up to the burning in my neck, and I flew through the forest, towards the constant heartbeat. I was no longer myself, but a true vampire, one who lived for blood. The scent pushed me on, my eyes wild with thirst. I felt no pity as a giant moose bellowed in fear as I found him. I was aware of blood flowing from a gash on his neck, my lips at his throat, the sweet, warm liquid rushing past my lips and into my throat, soothing the burning, and then I was myself again. I stared down in horror at my blood-soaked hands and the drained moose at my feet. Edward was standing behind me, completely unperturbed.

"You'll get used to it," he said, noticing my horrified expression.

"I can't believe I just did that," I said faintly. Edward was amused.

"You'll get better at this," he reassured. "I can teach you how to make sure they don't suffer as much." Then he walked past me to pick up the moose's limp body. "Go find another one," he added. "I know you're probably still thirsty."

I was. Still feeling guilty but knowing it was better than feeding on humans, I sniffed at the air. The wind blowing past me brought the scent of something new, something that smelled the same as the moose but incomparably sweet, even more irresistable than the scent of the moose's blood. Edward caught the scent the same time I did, his eyes suddenly widening in horror.

"NO!" he snarled as he leapt towards me, but it was too late. The flame in my throat was sharper than ever, and the trees were once again a blur as I raced towards the sweet smell. I could hear Edward sprinting after me, and pushed myself faster, the human blood left in me allowing me to leave him behind. The scent grew stronger and stronger until it was so sharp I could feel the venom pooling in my mouth.

I dodged another tree and skidded to a stop, to find myself staring into the surprised green eyes of a hiker.

**Oooh, cliffie! I wonder what Bella will do next?**

**A lot of people are wondering why Edward walked out in the last chapter. I have my reasons, but I'd rather not give them right now and ruin the story. You'll understand when Edward is ready! :)**

**-Scribbles**


	5. Chapter 4: Gifts

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight books (even thought I do own copies), or any of the characters. Those belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**A/N: Hmm, you guys really don't like cliffies, do you? Aw well, I'll try to refrain from using them in the future (keyword: try).  
Sorry, I didn't update yesterday; I was kinda busy. Hopefully this makes up for it though; the longest chapter yet: 3,242 words!  
****_Maren Mitchell_: Are you sure you aren't Alice in disguise? Your prediction is . . . well, you'll see.  
_Twilight_'s the only one I don't own, so I'm not sure if my discription of Carlisle's office was accurate, but it was the best I could do.  
Bella's special talent is revealed in this chapter! This is what I think it should have been, but if you don't like it, please don't kill me! :)**

**Anyways, on with the show!**

* * *

_I dodged another tree and skidded to a stop, to find myself staring into the surprised green eyes of a hiker._

Part I

Chapter 4: Gifts

Shock at the delicious scent before me froze me to place. I watched as the astonishment in the young man's eyes turn into horror as he took in my blood-splattered cloths and the red liquid dripping from my chin.

My throat wrenched with fire again as the sound of his frenzied heartbeat filled my ears. His blood smelled so sweet, so tempting. I found myself imagining a scene where he lay lifeless at my feet, his blood dripping from my lips, then immediately threw the image out of my mind, disgusted by myself. How could I kill an innocent person? He probably had a family and friends, who would all grieve him if he died. . .

I tried to make myself run away from him so I would not be able to kill him, but I was unable to force myself to leave the enticing scent of his blood. It didn't help that his heart was threatening to burst out of his chest at the speed it was going. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the burning in my throat. _I won't kill him, I can't kill him, I won't, I won't, I won't . . ._ I repeated to myself, as if these words could soothe the flames. If I could just hold off until Edward caught up, then he could restrain me and the hiker could leave unharmed. . .

"Oh, god," I heard the hiker whisper. His words were all it took to ruin my concentration. A sharp rumbling grew in my chest, then ripped itself free from my throat in a dark snarl as I lost control. I lunged blindly for his throat.

The scent of his blood filled my nostrils, blocking out everything else. I could imagine his sweet blood on my tongue, trickling down my throat. It seemed like time stood still as I flew through the air towards him, my hands reaching out like claws for his throat. Then, faster than thought, a white blur collided with me with a thunderous crash and I landed, for the second time that day, in an unceremonious heap on the forest floor. This time, however, a very irrate Emmett held my arms to the ground in an iron grasp, allowing no room for movement.

A growl of fury burst from my lips as I struggled, trying desperately to reach the delicious smell of the human's blood. Emmett snarled back, tightening his grip on my wrists. "Hold still before I knock you out cold," he snapped into my ear, and I immediately obeyed. Not because I was frightened of Emmett, but because he was smothering the hiker's scent with his own so that I could finally think straight again. My eyes widened at what I could have done, would have done, if he hadn't interrupted my leap.

"Oops," I whispered. He looked down at me, half amused, half annoyed.

"Definitely oops," he agreed. Then my attention shifted to Alice's bell-like voice, coming from a few feet beyond me.

". . . were acting out a little scene from a story we wrote," she was saying, no doubt explaining my actions to the bewildered hiker. "She gets a little too much into the moment."

I heard him mumble, "It's alright, I understand" in a shaky voice that sounded rough and sharp compared to Alice's, then a rustle of leaves as stumbling footsteps rushed away from our gathering. Emmett waited another minute before cautiously letting me up again. I leapt lightly to my feet.

Jasper and Edward were facing me, while Alice was glaring at Edward, her eyes narrowed. Jasper was the only calm one; Edward's lips were pressed into a thin line, his jaw tense. The awkward silence stretched on until I couldn't take it anymore.

"Um, hi?" My voice came out an octave higher with uncertainty. Edward raised a perfect eyebrow while Alice continued to glower at him. I took a deep breath. "I'm - I'm sorry I lost control like that," I sqeaked. Alice finally broke off her scowl to roll her eyes at me.

"It was to be expected," she reassured warmly. "All newborn vampires have trouble controlling their thirst in the beginning. You did really well, actually, for a newborn." She tilted her head to one side, like a confused puppy. "I wonder why," she murmured to herself. I answered her anyway.

"I . . . sort of had an aversion to blood when I was human," I explained, grinning sheepishly. "I guess that stayed with me a bit." Alice nodded, looking thoughtful. Then she turned to glare at Edward again.

"But," she snarled, her voice heavy with unsaid threats. "The real question is, why a certain mind reader didn't even bother to check with me about the future before taking her to hunt by herself!" I was surprised to see Alice, sweet, caring Alice, so furious. Edward's eyes widened with fury.

"I didn't check with you?" he said quietly, his velvet voice menacing. "You think I didn't try to?! You didn't look into her future!" I was very confused by now. How could Alice see the future?

Alice looked offended. "Of course I did!" she shouted at him. "I'm not as irresponsible as you think!" Jasper set his hand gently on her shoulder when she began to shake with rage. She calmed down the instant he touched her. Her expression then suddenly went completely blank.

The complete and totally apathy in her eyes frightened me as she continued to stare unseeingly at a point behind Edward. "Alice?" I called, concerned. She didn't seem to hear me. "Alice!" I reached out to her, trying to think of something - anything - I could do to help, but Emmett's huge hand came down on my shoulder, holding me in place.

"It's alright," he assured. "This happens every time she gets a vision from the future. It's like a special power," he added, seeing my puzzled expression. I flicked my gaze back to Alice without questioning him further. With everything that had happened to me today, he could have told me that rabid butterflies were planning the take over Mars and I wouldn't have been surprised.

After another second or so, Alice became Alice once again, but her expression at changed. Her eyes were lit up with understanding, and she was no longer scowling at Edward. "I understand now!" she sang happily. Edward sighed in frustration.

"What did you see?" he asked impatiently. Alice unexpectedly smiled at him.

"Exactly!" she laughed. "You can't read my mind right now!" Edward's chiseled features pulled into a frown of concentration. A moment passed, then his eyes widened with understanding.

"Ah." He nodded. "Bella's talent?" Alice beamed.

"Yup!"

Then Edward turned to me, amusement flashing through his golden eyes at my confusion. "We should go see Carlisle," he suggested. "He'll explain." I nodded in agreement. An explanation sounded pretty good to me right now.

"What are we waiting for?" Alice sang. "Come on!" She snatched my hand, and then we were running, the trees once again splashes of green and brown.

"I see what Rosalie meant," I grumbled at Alice as she dragged me along. "You _are _too enthusiastic." Instead of being offended, Alice laughed.

"I know!"

Before I knew it, I was once again in the large mansion **(A/N: Picture on profile) **and being pulled up the stairs. Alice led me to a door at the end of the hallway and knocked on it, twitching with anticipation.

"Come in," Carlisle's voice called from behind the door. Alice slammed it open and rushed into the room. My eyes widened as I admired what seemed to be Carlisle's office. Books filled the ceiling-high shelves on the side walls. The carpet was a soft, lush gold. A mahogany desk was pushed up against the glass wall, and the sunlight streamed in, causing my skin to shimmer with rainbows. I looked at Alice and Carlisle, and realized that they were shimmering too. Alice noticed.

"It's another vampire quality," she said, smiling at my shocked face. Then she turned to Carlisle. "Bella has a special talent!" she sang to him. He raised his eyebrows, surprised.

"Oh?" Even though his eyes betrayed his curiosity, his voice was calm, unlike Alice, who was jumping up and down with excitement. "Perhaps we should wait until the others come to test it." Alice's mood dampened a bit, but she didn't argue.

"Esme, Rosalie," Carlisle called quietly. I knew that they could hear him with their vampire hearing. As I expected, they appeared in the room almost immediately. "We're here to discuss Bella's talent," he explained.

Rosalie's eyes burned with curiosity, while Esme looked like she was about to burst with pride. "My new daughter has a special talent!" she sang happily. Rosalie and Alice laughed, but I was touched by her words; Esme considered me a daughter!

We settled down on the carpet as we waited for Edward, Emmett, and Jasper to arrive from the woods. Alice began telling Carlisle about my disaster of a first hunt and the conversation she had had with Edward, her words coming so fast I had to strain to hear them. I saw his eyes widen in surprise and admiration as she described my encounter with the hiker and how I managed to ignore the scent of his blood after Emmett tackled me.

"Interesting," he murmured, his gaze flickering to me. "So it _is _possible to resist the bloodlust. . ."

Just as I was getting uncomfortable under his stare, the office door slammed open again to reveal a very smug Emmett and exasperated Jasper. Emmett pranced inside the room in a very Alice-like fashion, Jasper following more calmly. He walked immediately to Alice and settled down beside her. A second later, Edward walked in, his expression twisted into one of annoyance. Alice and Rosalie watched this scene, amused.

"What did you two bet on this time?" Rosalie asked, her eyes dancing with laughter.

"Something Jasper can't possibly be correct on," Emmett smirked. Jasper snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Dream on, muscle boy."

Edward had sat down across the room from me, beside Esme - as far away from me as possible in this room, I noticed, hurt and confused - and was now glaring at me with dark eyes. I flinched at his hostile gaze, and he turned away. Why did he hate me so much?

"We should get started now, Carlisle," he said, his usually smooth voice filled with suppressed anger. Carlisle looked surprised at his tone, but didn't comment.

"Of course." He turned to me. "Before we can test your talent, I should explain to you some other things." I nodded, eagerly waiting for his explanation. There were too many things about being vampire that he had not clarified.

"As you know," he continued. "Once a person has been changed into a vampire, they gain a number of things, including heightened senses, supernatural strength and speed, immortality, and the lack of need for air, water, and human food." I fidgeted, impatient. I already knew all this. "The person also brings a certain trait from his or her human life. This trait is usually the most dominant one from the human life, and is increased considerably in the vampire. Sometimes, it becomes a quantifiable supernatural talent. For example, Alice can see things that have not happened yet, Jasper can control the emotions of those around him, and Edward can hear the thoughts of others. With one exception."

Everyone was visibly tensing, and I had a feeling that this was what Carlisle was leading up to. His eyes fixed on mine, and his serious voice said, "As Edward could not hear your thoughts when he met you, I am assuming that your mind has some natural defense against intruders. If this is your special gift, it would also explain why Edward cannot read our minds sometimes when you are around. I believe that you have to ability to raise and lower others' mind barriers."

Silence. Then -

"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" Alice screeched, leaping to her feet and bouncing with excitement. "Oh this is _perfect_, Bella! Now there are four of us!" She flung her arms around me and squeezed me hard enough to rival Emmett. I laughed and gently pushed her away.

"So how does my mind thing work?" I asked after Alice calmed down a bit. "I mean, you said Edward couldn't hear your thoughts _sometimes _but I didn't do anything special at all." Carlisle nodded as if this was what he suspected.

"It's all probably just subconcious right now," he answered. "You will be able to control it better once you have practiced it a bit."

"Let's practice it now!" Alice exclaimed almost before Carlisle had finished talking. She turned and jabbed a finger towards me. "_You_ lower my mind barriers and listen to my thoughts." I smiled at her enthusiasm.

"How?"

"Just listen carefully," Carlisle replied. "Focus on listening." The room was quiet as I closed my eyes in concentration. I strained my ears, trying to delve into Alice's mind. To my surprise, I could sense my conciousness flowing outward, towards everyone in the room. A faint babble of sound reached my ears. I strained harder, and then, suddenly, the quiet, indistinct voices seemed to break through a barrier and became loud and clear.

_Wow wow wow wow wow! This is so amazing! Bella can you hear me yet? _Alice's voice screamed at me. I immediately recognized the pure quality of her voice; it was the same as the times I had heard Carlisle and Rosalie. Now I understood; those had been their thoughts.

_Fascinating. It's like Edward's talent, only more controllable, _Carlisle was thinking, his voice thoughtful.

_This is such an interesting gift, so much like Edward's. I wonder how he'll react, _Esme's motherly tone wondered.

_Yes! Edward's is getting upset; I'm going to win the bet! _Emmett's thought was so loud that I flinched.

_Hmm, I can imagine why Edward's angry. She's basically stealing his uniqueness. _I cringed inwardly at the truth in Jasper's words.

_Wonderful! Now Edward will get a taste of his own medicine. _Rosalie clearly was not happy that privacy was an issue since Edward could hear her thoughts.

_How strange. It's so quiet, it's almost a relief._ I gasped to myself at this last thought. I had marveled many times these few hours at the beautiful velvet of Edward's voice, but this was even more beautiful, so smooth and soft. It reminded me of a peaceful ocean, waves lapping quietly at golden sand.

My eyes fluttered open and the voices faded as I lost my concentration. I gazed at my new family in wonder.

"Wow," was all I could say. Alice beamed.

"You heard me!" she cried, clapping her hands, delighted.

"I heard _all _of you," I replied, still a little overwhelmed. Alice's smile, if possible, widened. However, Carlisle cut in before she could say anything.

"I should be going," he annonced, glancing at his watch. "My shift at the hospital starts in fifteen minutes." Then he got up from behind his desk and was out of the room in a white blur. Esme drifted out of the office after him.

"I should go too," she murmured. "Bella, have fun practicing your gift!" she called over her shoulder. Then Rosalie stood up.

"Come on, Emmett, I haven't finished fixing your jeep yet," she said dragging him out of the room. "See you four later!"

"Hey!" I heard Emmett complain as Rosalie pulled him away. "I haven't got my fifty bucks from Jasper yet!"

Alice stood up too. Her head turned to Edward, then me, then she grabbed Jasper's hand and towed him out of the room. "Later!" she called. The room was quiet.

With a start, I realized that Edward and I were alone in the office, and he was staring at me with emotionless topaz eyes.

"So. . ." His beautiful voice gave none of his emotions away. "Congratulations." A lump grew in my throat at his selflessness.

"Edward, I know that my talent is a lot like yours and I'm sort of like stealing away your power when I block the other's thoughts, but I really didn't mean - I mean, I can't really control what my gift is, and I didn't know that it would be like yours, and I'm really sorry if you're mad at me, but I'll try to not interfere as soon as I know how to control it, but maybe I won't even use my gift at all, I mean it's not necessary . . ." Edward smiled crookedly, and gently put a finger on my lips to stop my blabbing. I shivered at his warm touch.

"Shh," he said softly. "It's not your fault." The apathy in his eyes disappeared, and they were blindingly lovely, like molten gold. "And I don't mind at all," he added. His eyes closed, and I resisted the urge to force them open again so I could see his beautiful eyes. "It's so quiet," he sighed slowly. "It's a relief; you don't know how annoying it is for their thoughts to fill your mind night and day."

It felt like my dormant heart had been released of a burden. _Edward approves! _I sang to myself. _He doesn't mind that my gift is so similar to his!_ Then I immediately stopped myself. Why did I care how he felt? Why was it so important to me? Was it because he was part of my new family?

_No, _I answered myself. It was more than just that. I thought of his flawless beauty and stunning gold eyes, his polite manner and selflessness. He was so perfect in every way. I let my eyes wander to his kind eyes, and then I knew.

I had fallen in love with Edward Cullen.

* * *

**Yay! She finally realizes it!**

**This should get interesting. . .**

**-Scribbles**


	6. Chapter 5: Realization

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight books (even thought I do own copies), or any of the characters. Those belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**A/N: First, an apology. I meant to update earlier, but my weekend was so busy that it took me away to get back into the story.  
****I'm not really happy with this chapter, but I didn't really know how else to put it, so, yea . . .  
A lot of people are asking for an epov. I'm not going to write one soon though; this story is FAR from over, and epov will ruin the entire thing. Maybe later. . . :)**

**Anyways (drumroll please), Chapter 5!**

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_It felt like my dormant heart had been released of a burden._

Edward approves!_ I sang to myself._ He doesn't mind that my gift is so similar to his!_ Then I immediately stopped myself. Why did I care how he felt? Why was it so important to me? Was it because he was part of my new family?_

No_, I answered myself. It was more than just that. I thought of his flawless beauty and stunning gold eyes, his polite manner and selflessness. He was so perfect in every way. I let my eyes wander to his kind eyes, and then I knew._

_I had fallen in love with Edward Cullen._

Part I

Chapter 5: Realization

This realization startled me. I had known him for less than a day. How could I love him? How was I even sure that I _did _love him?

I had never loved anyone out of my family in my human life. My few friends were special to me, but I never loved them in the way I felt about Edward. It was like he was the center of my universe. His moods affected my own in a way I had thought impossible, his happiness my own, his pain my pain. I would do _anything_ for him; murder myself at his command, kill myself if it made him happy.

Such vulnerability frightened me. I was scared by my weakness, and almost angry at him for making me feel this way, but at the same time, it felt _right_. Like I had found half of me that I had never known was missing before now. I was complete.

"Ahem." The quiet cough jerked me back to the present, and with a start, I realized that I had been frozen for a while now, immersed in my thoughts. I glanced sheepishly at Edward, who hadn't left the room yet, and found myself lost again in a pair of amused golden eyes.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I got kind of caught up in my thoughts, apparently."

"Apparently," he agreed, the corner of his mouth twitching as he tried to hold back his smile.

There was silence again as I watched him, indulging myself on his incomparable beauty. I was shocked and hurt to find that something like anger and irritation periodically flickered through his eyes, as if he were trying to hold those emotions back, but they would occasionally break through the barriers he set.

I felt like I had been slapped. What reason had I given for him to hate me so much? Was I not good enough for him? Not pretty enough? Did he want more than just my plain, uninteresting self?

Unexpectedly, Edward turned away. "I should leave too," he muttered absentmindedly to me. Without waiting for my response, he turned and hurried out of Carlisle's office, his strides long and smooth.

The sense of déjà vu was stifling. Was this his plan to tell me that he didn't want me? To be friendly, almost brotherly, one second, then walk out on me, sending me into a spiral of disappintment? I immediately shook the thought out of my head. The Edward I had gotten to know would never be so hurtful.

In a daze of confusion, I followed his lead out of the room down the stairs. It took me a few seconds to realize that it was unnaturally quiet in the house. My acute hearing could only pick up the sound of Esme humming quietly to herself as she flipped through the crisp pages of what sounded like a book and the quiet rustle of the wind through the trees outside. Carlisle had explained that he would be at the hospital, but where were the others?

I walked into the vast living room, and Esme looked up and smiled from her perch on the couch.

"Hello, dear," she smiled at me. I smiled back shyly.

"Where's everyone?" I asked.

"At school." My eyes widened in surprise, then I instantly felt stupid. In the events of the last few days, I had forgotten all about school. It was good, I guess. I had a few hours without Edward here, his expression always darkening when he saw me. . .

I didn't know what Esme saw in my expression, but hers changed almost immediately from welcome to concern. "What's wrong?" Her eyes were anxious.

I hesitated as I stood by her side. She patted the cushion beside her and I sat down uncertainly. Her kind, understanding eyes gazed down at me, and I was torn by indecision. If I told her my feeling for Edward, she might think I was insane; even thought I was so sure of my feelings, it had been less than a day since my change. However, if I did tell her, she could help me sort out my feelings for him. After all, she was our adopted mother.

"It's - it's Edward," I finally admitted, making up my mind. Instead of looking like I should be put in an asylum, her eyes brightened with understanding and delight.

"Oh!" she gasped. "You like him, don't you?" I gawked at her in amazement.

"How did you know?"

Esme laughed. "It's in your eyes," she explained. "Every time you look at him, it's like you just found something you were looking for your entire life, but didn't know you were looking for until then." She amazed me more by the second.

My eyes asked my question, and Esme's softened. "It was the same for me, you know," her voice was quiet and gentle as her eyes took on a faraway look as she relived the memory. "When Carlisle changed me a few decades back, I fell in love with him immediately. He was so kind and compassionate, his determination helping him become immune to the scent of blood. He was the only one I wanted, the only one I would ever want, but I was so scared that he didn't want me the way I wanted him. It was a few years before I managed to gather enough strength to tell him, but we've been together ever since." I waited a moment as she slowly came back to the present.

"Anyways," she went on. "I'm glad that Edward will finally have someone. Emmett has Rosalie, and Jasper has Alice, but he's been alone for much too long."

"But that's the point," I said quietly, my voice breaking with pain in my next words. "Edward hates me." Esme frowned.

"He wouldn't hate you," she reassured, but uncertainty rang clear in her voice. "He just met you." I felt a lump growing in my throat as I explained to her the things I had noted the past few hours.

"But I guess it doesn't matter," I concluded. "Maybe I'll find someone else who doesn't hate me. Besides, I'll probably get over him after a few years." It felt like I was trying to convince myself more than my adopted mother.

Esme's eyes were infinitely sad as she looked at me. "You won't get over him, Bella," she said, her voice miserable.

"What do you mean?" I asked, startled. As much as I loved Edward now, the feelings would probably fade if he hated me.

"For one thing," Esme explained. "True love is never something you can get over. Even if you do move on, you will still love him. And Bella . . ." She paused, as if considering whether to tell me or not. After a few unbearably slow seconds, she continued, her eyes on my face, gauging my reaction, "We vampires are like stone, Bella. Once something happens us, it is very, very rare that we change. So it is most likely that you will always love him."

I froze as this information sank in. I would love Edward forever, and he would never love me back. I gasped as pain wracked through my chest. Now I understood the phrase 'heartbroken'. It was like my heart had ripped itself in half, like the fact that it wouldn't change was too much for it to bear. Esme wrapped her arms comfortingly around me as the strange, tearless sobs began to break free.

I wanted the tears to fall. I wanted to cry out this pain, let it wash out of me in my tears. I wanted to let it all go. All the pain that my love for Edward would bring me. All the aggravation it would give him.

"I'm sorry," I heard Esme breathe in my ear. "So, so sorry."

_It's not your fault, _I wanted to shout,_ it's only mine, because I'm stupid to think that someone like Edward could might even consider loving me._ But my energy was being drained by my sobs. I had let myself hope subconciously that he would change, a small part of me desperately clinging to the chance that his anger might fade. Being told that it was impossible hurt more than I thought was possible.

It took a long while for me to cry myself out. My throat was hoarse from my cries, my eyes raw even though no tears fell from them. The pain still lingered. No matter how much I let myself bawl, the hurt would always be there, because nothing would ever change how I felt about Edward.

"Sorry," I mumbled quietly to Esme. She pulled me closer to her chest.

"I understand."

Everything was quiet for a few moments as I calmed down. They would all be coming home soon. It would be strange for them to walk in on us like this . . . Alice would probably have already known, and Rosalie would have too if Alice told her, Emmett would find it hilarious, Jasper would be very confused at my emotions, and Edward -

I gasped. Esme looked down at me anxiously. "Esme," I began hoarsely, close to panicking. "Please, please please please, I know that I'm asking a lot of you right now, but _please_ don't let Edward find out what just happened."

Understanding and sympathy glowed in her eyes. "I'll try," she said, and I immediately relaxed. "But . . . could I ask you to block out my thoughts to him? Just in case?"

"Of course," I agreed, surprised as I remembered my special gift. Carlisle's explanation seemed so long ago . . .

"But I don't know how!" I suddenly realized, my peacefulness fading at once. Esme just smiled slightly.

"Don't worry. Carlisle told me to pass on the directions before he left for his shift at the hospital," she comforted. "He thinks that all you have to do is to sense the person like you do when you hear their thoughts, but this time shield them. Almost like ignoring them. He said you would understand."

"Oh," was my reply. It all sounded easy enough.

"You can go up to your room if you want, so I won't distract you," Esme suggested. I felt myself flood with embarassment.

"Oh Esme! You didn't have to get me a room, I mean it must have been horribly inconvenient and all, and -"

"Nonsense," she interrupted in a scolding voice, sounding almost like I had offended her. "You are one of the family now, so it only makes sense for you to have your own room! Besides we have more rooms than we know what to do with, and I _like _remodeling the rooms. Come, let me show you your room." She gently took my hand and led me up the majestic white staircase. She seemed so excited, almost like Alice, that I didn't have the heart to resist.

She brought me down the hallway and stopped the the third door down. "Right here," she announced. "Between Alice and Jasper, and Edward." With an exaggerated grand jesture, she pushed the door open.

I gasped. The room was big, larger than Carlisle's office. The lush carpet was a soft, pure gold, the walls painted a periwinkle blue. Through the glass wall that began on my left and curved in an arch to meet one of the two painted walls on my right, I could see the tall pine trees of the forest. A large sofa was pushed against that wall, so that sitting in it would give a perfect view throught the glass wall. A bookcase stood on my immediate left, and it was filled to the top with books. This gesture was so touching, I would have cried if I could.

Esme watched for my reaction nervously. "I didn't know what you liked, but this just seems like the sort of thing a you would," she said worriedly. "I didn't know what books to get you either, so I just bought all of Edward and my favorites. If you don't like it I can redo it for -"

I threw my arms around her, cutting off her words. "Thank you so, so much! I absolutely love it!" I cried happily. Esme beamed and patted my back.

"I'm glad you think so," she smiled. "I'll go and let you practice your talent then. I'm downstairs if you need me." I nodded, too choked up to reply, and released her. She left the room, carefully closing the door behind her.

With a sigh, I collapsed onto the sofa. So much had happened today. According to Carlisle, vampires couldn't sleep, but I still felt exhausted. Not in the way that I would fall asleep, but more like when you've been standing up for too long without moving. All I wanted to do was bury my nose into one of my new books, but if I wanted my breakdown and confession to be safe from Edward, I had a talent to practice.

I closed my eyes resignedly and tried to focus. Just like in Carlisle's office, I let my conciousness reach out. Almost instantly, much faster than last time, I heard the last part of Esme's thought: . . . _wonder how Bella's doing. It must be hard for her to know that the one she loves hates her. _I flinched. _You have no idea,_ I thought grimly. Then I brought my mind back to my task. Carefully keeping my mind open, I searched for a way to block her thoughts. To my surprise, I find something like a fallen wall surrounding her mind. Cautiously, I brought the wall up. Her voice vanished at once, but I could still feel my mind roaming. Pleased with my success, I began to lower her walls to try again, but then stopped abruptly.

Without Esme's 'voice' to to cover it, I could hear ten other voices standing out against the buzzing of many other human thoughts. I focused harder on them, and their conversation was mine to hear.

_Are we close yet, Sam? _This voice was deep and husky, with a wild, feral quality that did not sound human. It was almost like a wolf: fierce and vicious.

To my surprise, another voice answered his thought.

_Almost there, _it responded, so full of authority that I felt my knees tremble.

There was a pause, and then a higher, younger voice asked, _The Cullens' saved a human from death, Sam. Do we really need to kill them for that?_ I froze, paralyzed with fear. 'Killing the Cullens'? I strained my ears harder to hear the reply.

_Of course!_ Again, that powerful mind. _They have broken the treaty by biting a human. There will be no more peace between us. _There were no more voices, only a strange beating rhythm, like a wolf running throught the forest.

I could feel the anticipation in the ten minds as they pushed on faster and faster. Closer and closer . . .

My eyes flew open and a prickle of fear ran up my spine. Something was coming with one intention in mind: to destroy the Cullens. Somehow, they knew the secret, and they disapproved of something my family had done.

My family was strong and skilled, but the seven of them were hopelessly outnumbered. The ten wolf-like minds were also confident - too confident. If we even had a chance of fighting and winning, they would be much less brave.

They wanted a war, and this was a war that we could not win.

**So . . . Chapter 5. Review and tell me how you like it, please.**

**No prize for whoever guesses what's coming (it's kinda obvious). :)**

**-Scribbles**


	7. Chapter 6: Fear

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight books (even thought I do own copies), or any of the characters. Those belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update, I had writer's block. I wrote it, deleted it, then tried to rewrite it, but it just doesn't seem to want to come out right. Sigh.  
I renamed the last few chapters a part of PART I: HATE. There will be two more parts.****  
Anyways, I also need an excuse for the Denali Clan to come down to Forks. I need Tanya and the others in this story, but I'm not sure how I can get them down without making it seem fake. I don't really want the Cullens to go to Alaska either . . . If you have an idea, please tell me in a review.  
****One more thing: I turn 14 next Monday!! Yay!**

**Warning: This chapter is extremely depressing. If you love Alice and Jasper, you won't be happy. You have been warned. . .**

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_My family was strong and skilled, but the seven of them were hopelessly outnumbered. The ten wolf-like minds were also confident - too confident. If we even had a chance of fighting and winning, they would be much less brave._

_They wanted a war, and this was a war that we could not win._

Part I

Chapter 6: Fear **(A/N: Biggest understatement of the year)**

I raced out of my room and down the stairs, my eyes wide with panic, gasping at the air I did not need. I had to tell Esme, Carlisle, anyone! We needed to go away, as far as we could get from the horrible monsters that were coming.

I found Esme back on her spot at the sofa, the same book in her hand. She looked up, concerned, as she took in my disheveled hair and horrified eyes.

"Bella?" she said worriedly. "Is everything alright?"

"No!" I managed to choke out around my growing terror. "They're coming!"

Her expression was completely bewildered as she looked at me, not understanding. Before I had time to explain, a shrill ringing exploded the uncomfortable silence. Without taking her worried eyes off my face, Esme reached into her pocket and brought out a small silver phone.

"Hello?" Her soft voice was still dark with worry.

"_Esme!_" I listened, half impatient, half relieved when Carlisle's voice through the phone. "_Listen, there's something strange going on,_" he said, his words coming too fast with unease. "_Alice called me seven minutes ago. Apparently, our future disappeared with no warning at all. I'm on my way home, and the others should be back from school any time now." _

Esme frowned and broke away from my gaze. "Is it that bad?" she asked, her gold eyes fearful.

"_I'm not sure_," was the grim answer. "_This has never happened before. We're all coming back only as a precaution, but I can't be sure if there is any danger._"

I could almost taste the fear in the air. "Hurry back," I heard Esme whisper.

"_Of course,_" he replied. The love was so plain in his voice that I had to turn away, feeling as if I were intruding. I momentarily forgot my stress as pain wracked my chest. The one I loved would never love me like that . . .

Carlisle's next words brought my anxiety rushing back. "_Try to lie low until we get back._" he warned. "_There's no telling what can happen_."

"Alright," was Esme's reply. "I love you." My dormant heart wrenched.

"_I love you, too." _

Click.

Esme flipped the phone closed, and turned back to me. "I'm sorry," she started. Her voice gave nothing away, but the anxiety in her eyes betrayed her alarm. "You were saying . . . ?"

My chest swelled with my love for Esme. Even though she was terrified at what was happening, she still wanted to comfort me.

I spoke quickly, anxiously.

"I heard a few thoughts a few minutes ago," I jabbered. "They were a lot like wolves, only they had humans thoughts. They were talking about coming here and _killing_ us because Carlisle bit me, and something about a broken treaty, and we need to get away from here as fast as possible before they reach us!" I finished, trying to catch the breath I did not need.

Esme's expression was frozen, and in that second, she looked like an ice sculpture. Her lips were parted in horror, her eyes wide, and her skin seemed even paler than normal. It seemed like a full minute before she moved again.

In a quick movement that would have been indiscernible to a watching human, she whipped out her cell phone and stabbed at a number, then pressed it to her ear.

"Carlisle!" she gasped as soon as her call was picked up. So quickly that her words were almost blurred together, she relayed all the information I had told her to her husband.

There was a shocked silence on the other end. After what felt like a thousand intolerable, anxious hours later, he replied.

"_This is bad, this is very bad_," Carlisle moaned. It was the first time I had heard real fear in his voice, and I felt my own fright growing in response. "_I'll explain, later; I'm pulling into the driveway as we speak, and the others are right behind me. We'll be with you in a moment._" I heard the ominous click again as he hung up.

Less than a second later, Carlisle rushed into the room in a white flash. He wrapped his arms gently around the trembling Esme.

"What's going on?" Esme asked, her voice shaky. Carlisle's arms tightened visibly around her, and a lump filled my throat. He loved her so much, the way Edward would never love me . . .

Carlisle leaned down to murmur an explanation in her ear, but it was for both of us.

"When we first came to Forks a few decades ago, we found that the Quileute tribe of La Push were shape-shifters, almost werewolf-like. They could transform into enormous wolves when angered. As it was, they had met and dealt with our kind before, and believed that all of us were evil. We managed to negotiate a treaty with them. If we did not bite a human or cross into La Push, then we could live peacefully."

This new information sank in quickly. At first I was relieved; all the facts began to fit together, like puzzle pieces making a greater whole. Then the relief quickly vanished to be replaced by cold, unrelenting fear. Ten wolves, all with the knowledge of how to kill a vampire, coming to this house. I tried to imagine little Alice fighting them, or gentle Esme trying to hold them off, and shivered with dread.

Then a new thought occured to me. The wolf-people and the Cullens had lived peacefully before, but now were on the brink of war. All because of me. If Carlisle had not bitten me, if I hadn't even come to Forks in the first place, all of this could have been avoided.

"It's all my fault!" I cried. "All of this. If I didn't exist, this would never happen!" Slender arms gently wrapped around me.

"No, Bella," Rosalie's voice hummed in my ear. My brain registered briefly that the others had come into the room during Carlisle's explanation, and then Rosalie spoke again.

"It was only a matter of time before Carlisle had to change another," she reassured. "It's just really bad timing that we were in Forks when it happened." I was not comforted.

My eyes scanned the room behind Rosalie. Emmett looked excited, as if fighting shape-shifters was a dream come true. I felt a wave of calmness wash over me, and noticed that Jasper was there, too, looking understandingly at me. Edward stood behind the two of them, his face blank. There was something wrong about this image, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it. . .

"So what are we going to do now?" Esme's voice was much steadier now, no doubt the result of Jasper's talent. Carlisle frowned.

"Obviously, we cannot fight," he began. "If Bella is right, then they greatly outnumber us. Our best hope is to try to settle a new treaty before they can destroy us." Suddenly, it was only Jasper's gift that kept me from screaming out loud at the hopelessness of it all. Carlisle sighed. "If only Alice could see right now. . ."

All at once, I realized what was wrong. _Alice_! Esme and Carlisle were here, as were Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett, and Edward, but Alice! There was no sign that she was anywhere near. I inhaled deeply, trying to find her sweet apple-chocolate-and-pine **(A/N: more on my profile, if you have different ideas please tell me) **scent, but it was stale. She had not set foot in this house for hours.

"Where's Alice?" I voiced my worries, desperately hoping that someone would prove them wrong. To my dismay, my family looked just as confused as I felt.

"She was with us when we came home," Emmett pursed his lips, his forehead furrowing.

"Edward, can you try to listen for her?" Carlisle suggested quietly, but I could hear the panic under his calm mask. Edward closed his eyes, his perfect eyebrows coming together as he concentrated, but soon he opened his eyes and shook his head.

"Bella's still blocking me," he answered, the annoyance in his voice almost completely obscured by his worry. I moaned. Why did my talent have to play up now, when I most needed it to vanish?

Carlisle turned to me. "Bella, try to find her thoughts!" he urged.

"But-but . . . now? I mean I just hardly learned about it!" I stuttered, terrified that I would make a mistake.

"Try!" he persisted. I hesitated.

"Just do it!"

I was surprised to hear the desperated growl come from Jasper. He crossed the room to my side in three long strides and forced Rosalie away from me, clutching my shoulders tightly with his hands.

"Just do it, damn it! _Find out what she's thinking_!" Jasper was inches away from my face, his eyes wild with his terror for his wife. I swallowed convulsively, the fear in his eyes moving me. I would do it. For Jasper, if not anyone else. I closed my eyes obediently, letting my conciousness spread away from me.

At once, I heard the babble of the thoughts of those around me, but I ignored them, letting my mind spread further into the forest. Once in a while, I heard the purity of a mind, and hope would fill me, only to die away as I realized that it wasn't Alice. I knew that Jasper could feel the rise and fall of my hope; his hands would tighten almost uncomfortably on my shoulders every time I crossed a mind, then fall limp when Alice's light, bell voice didn't come to my ears.

How far _had_ she run in the few short minutes since she had run away? It felt like I had already searched a circle with a mile-long radius around the house. The room was silent around me; the others had stopped breathing in the fear that it would become a distraction.

I had almost given up by the time I heard the wolf voices. They were much closer than before, and just as I decided to pull back to tell Carlisle, Alice's voice filled my mind.

_. . . him. DO NOT COME AFTER ME!_ she was shouting in her head. Confused, I listened harder. _Edward or Bella, whoever is in my head, I left because I had an idea. It might stop the wolves from coming. If you come after me, it will ruin it! Tell Jasper I love him. DO NOT COME AFTER ME! Edward or Bella . . ._ She was repeating the same lines like a mantra in her head, over and over again, clearly hoping that Edward or I would hear her message.

My eyes fluttered open as my mind returned to the mansion. Jasper was still peering anxiously at me.

"Well?" he asked abruptly, his voice clipped and sharp. I repeated Alice's message for him. To my surprise, instead of being comforted by her words, he pulled away from me and slumped into the sofa, his eyes dead with hopelessness.

"She'll kill herself," he moaned. "She'll kill herself saving us." Frightened by his assumption, I looked around the room for reassurance, and instantly regretted it. Esme and Rosalie looked like they would be in tears, if that were possible. Carlisle's expression was carefully blank, Emmett was trying unsuccessfully to comfort Jasper, and Edward was gazing at me, his eyes colder than the surface of Pluto, but also filled with sympathy.

I deserved none of that sympathy.

Their looks of complete and utter helplessness made me finally realize the danger Alice was in. She was out there in the forest, far away, alone with ten werewolves. Alice. Sweet little Alice. And it was all my fault.

"No!" I cried, panicking. If this was what I had caused, then I would fix it. I tensed myself to race myself after her, but Emmett'strong arms suddenly came around me, trying to hold me in place. A snarl left my throat as I wrenched away from his embrace. Before I could move, another pair of arms gently pulled me back.

"Stop, Bella," Edward breathed into my ear. I shivered as his wonderful scent blew across my cheek. "There's nothing we can do. We won't reach her in time."

What Emmett's brute strength could not do, Edward's presence did, and I felt myself relaxing slightly in his arms. Twisting so that my face was in his chest, I began sobbed tearlessly. He froze, and I tensed, fearing I had gone too far, but then he relaxed and held me tighter.

"Shh," he murmured, brushing his lips against my cheek. My breath caught. Was it possible that he _didn't _hate me as much as I thought?

"It's all my fault," I mumbled into his shirt. His arms loosened and he pulled away a little so that he could look into my eyes.

"It's not your fault," he whispered fiercely, his eyes molten gold. "Do you hear me? It's not your fault. This is Alice's decision, and we'll all just have to live with it."

I was surprised by the passion in his voice. It was as if he truly believed that I was not the cause of what would almost certainly be Alice's death. I nodded wordlessly, even though I was not completely convinced, and buried my face in his chest again. He sighed softly and held me close.

Edward was right; even if I tried to run to Alice and bring her back, I would never get there in time. The only thing we could do was to wait. It would be the longest wait of my life, but if it was Alice's last wish, then I would wait.

_No_, I scolded myself. _I can't think that way. Alice won't die._

Alice would come back.

Wouldn't she?

**Poor Bella. Poor Esme. Poor Jasper.**

**I'll try to update soon.**

**-Scribbles**


	8. Chapter 7: Assistance

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight books (even thought I do own copies), or any of the characters. Those belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**A/N: So. . . school starts soon (hahaha, alliteration!!), so I'll probably not be able to update at all for a few weeks. . . I'm aiming for one more chapter before I temporarily quit. I'll update whenever I have the chance, but then again, who has the time to go on with all the schoolwork? :)  
Thanks again to **_carolina 81 _**for your suggestion, I changed my mind and edited a few things so that works . . . thanks!!  
Some people might have noticed I changed my summary; the other one was kinda blah. And I decided to leave the summary out of my A/N's since I'm probably going to switch it around a bit. . .  
Just a reminder: this is still the first day since Bella finished her change. It's just that a _lot_ has happened!  
So that's it . . . read on!!**

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_Edward was right; even if I tried to run to Alice and bring her back, I would never get there in time. The only thing we could do was to wait. It would be the longest wait of my life, but if it was Alice's last wish, then I would wait._

No_, I scolded myself._ I can't think that way. Alice won't die.

_Alice would come back._

_Wouldn't she?_

Part 

Chapter 7: Assistance

I didn't know how long we stood in that room, waiting for whatever it was Alice had in mind to work. Jasper sat unmoving, his head in his hands, trying unsuccessfully to stifle the sobs that were shaking his tall frame. Emmett had Rosalie in his arms; he had given up on his failed attempts of comforting his brother. It was now Esme who was rubbing Jasper's back reassuringly, Esme who had her arms wrapped around him. Carlisle was pacing in front of them, his marble brow furrowed as he worried over his adopted daughter.

To my complete and utter surprise, Edward had never loosened his arms once around me. He held me tight against his chest, his gold eyes soft as he looked down at me. I wondered absently why he was so friendly, when only hours before his eyes glowed with hate whenever he looked at me. His lips brushed gently against my forehead, lighter than the brush of a moth's wing, and I dismissed the mystery. I didn't care what his motivation was; as long as he didn't glower at me every time I was within three feet of him, I was okay with it.

It was strange how in the complete horror of what was happening, all we could do was wait. Every time I checked on the wolf pack, they were a little closer than before. Carlisle had argued with Jasper that we needed to run away, but the grief-stricken honey blond had disagreed.

"If this is what Alice wants, it's what we will do," he had stated in a firm, slightly muffled voice, the anguish burning clear underneath his calm façade. He didn't even try to soothe the tense atmosphere in the room; it probably took all of his control to not let his own fear and pain leak out.

I closed my eyes to check on the wolves again. It was much easier to reach out with my mind now, with the practice I had had of doing so every four seconds during the past minute.

I ignored Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Esme, and Carlisles' minds, not knowing if they would mind me seeing them, vulnerable in their thoughts, without any of the control that they showed outwardly. My mind reached Jasper, and I flinched, hearing the agony that his mind shouted at me. Edward's arms tightened instinctively around me, and my breath hitched at his touch. It was strange, how every time he was close to me, it was as if he were shocking me with electricity.

I tried to shake thoughts of Edward out of my head. I had a job to do, and even if I were intoxicated by the beautiful vampire beside me, I would do it right. For Jasper. For Alice.

The sharp pang of regret and love I felt whenever I thought of Alice was now familiar to me. I couldn't control the horrible guilt I felt. No matter how Esme tried to comfort me, no matter how many times Jasper would reassure me that it was alright, I knew deep inside me that Alice's would-be death was my fault. Completely and totally my fault. Not one of them could understand, not even Carlisle. But after all, _Carlisle _had not destroyed his new family by his presence_. Carlisle_ did not put others in danger simply because he existed. _Carlisle _was not the reason for his sister's death.

_. . . there, almost there. . ._

I was startled when my conciousness came across a mind much sooner than I had expected. The wolves had been running towards the mansion at a steady pace, and this was much closer than I had expected. If they had sped up . . . if they were coming now at _this _pace . . .

I tried unsuccesfully to slow the now-furious speed of my unneeded breaths. Edward tensed at my side, but I was barely aware of him. They were too close, and Alice was nowhere to be heard. . . I began to pull my mind back to warn Carlisle.

Then the realization hit me.

_This_ 'voice' did not have the fierce, wild tenor of of the shape-shifters. _This_ voice was not cold and feral. _This_ voice was the high, melodic soprano of something beautiful. Something reassuring. Something familiar.

"Alice!" I gasped, my eyes flying open.

At once, my family was on their feet, surrounding me. Edward released his hold on me to grip my shoulders, his eyes wild with horror. I watched, confused, as a similar light of fear darkened the others' eyes. Was Alice coming such a bad thing?

"What's wrong with Alice?" Carlisle asked. His voice was calm, but I could tell the extra effort it cost him. I laughed suddenly, shakily, as I realized the misunderstanding. My family eyed my as if I had lost my mind.

"Nothing's wrong!" I cried, my voice still unsteady from the irrational fear that had seized control of me only seconds before. "Something's right! Alice is coming back!"

Silence. When it stretched on, uninterrupted, I began to worry. _Can vampires go into shock . . . ? _**(A/N: Hahaha . . . sound familiar?)**

The rustle of the front door opening sounded eerily loud in the stillness. My family still seemed frozen, but I stiffened, my eyes widening in sudden fear. Did I wrongly identify the voice? What if it wasn't Alice walking into the house?

A seventeenth of a second later, a petite, willowy, black-haired miracle was bouncing into the room, a bright smile on her exquisite, elfin face. The stunned stupor that hung over the room like a blanket of fog was lifted at once.

"Alice!" Jasper breathed, abruptly on his feet, his eyes once more alive and dancing with hope and joy. He was at her side in so quickly my eyes barely made out the movement.

Alice!

He clutched her hands in his own, his face so filled with love that I felt the urge to look away.

Alice!

Carlisle's shoulders sagged with relief, and Esme looked as if she were close to tears, if it were possible.

Alice!

Rosalie and Emmett were embracing each other, each with identical expressions of joy.

Alice!

Edward released an unsteady breath and relaxed his iron grip on my arms, a smile breaking through the tension on his face.

"Thank _god_," he murmured, his once-again bright topaz eyes never leaving his sister's face.

Unexpectedly, Jasper pulled Alice into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. "You're alright," he whispered. He sighed and closed his eyes.

Jasper had never striked me as one to show his affections so publicly, so such a gesture surprised us. Emmett, however, recovered immediately.

"Hey," he complained, gently shoving at his slighter brother. "Stop monopolizing my sister." Once a very disgruntled Jasper had been pulled away from Alice, Emmett drew her into his arms, his enormous bands of muscle straining with the force of his hug. Alice laughed her tinkling laugh and patted Emmett's giant back. I closed my eyes, drinking in the sound I had thought was lost forever, committing it to memory.

"Hi, Emmett," Alice smiled. "Miss me much?"

Then suddenly we were all pulled together, our arms holding eachother, smothered by eachothers' embraces.

"Alice!"

"You're back!"

"We were so worried!"

"Welcome home!"

The words rang out from every angle, all relieved and happy. I swelled from the joy that filled my chest. I would _not_ be responsible for Alice's death!

"Ahem."

The quiet cough was so calm, so unexpected, that we immediately jerked away from eachother, startled. For the first time since Alice had returned, I realized that the Cullens were not the only family in this room.

Standing by the door, and looking very uncomfortable at our show of emotion, were five other people. I immediately tensed, then relaxed slightly when I realized that no heartbeat rang through the air, no alluring scent of blood pulled at my throat. They were vampires.

The one who had interrupted our reunion, a tall female with strawberry-blond curls, stepped forward.

"Hello again, Carlisle," she said pleasantly. holding out her hand. Carlisle reached forward to clasp it. To my surprise, he addressed her like a life-long friend.

"Tanya," he greeted. "What brings you down to Washington?" Tanya's expression remained smooth as she answered.

"Alice," she explained. Her voice was calm, but the defensive hardening of her eyes told that there was more than she was going to say. "She found us and told us to come. Werewolf troubles?"

While all worries of the wolves had fled with the excitement of Alice returning, they came flooding back at that reminder. A glance at Carlisle showed that he was remembering the same thing.

"Ah." Carlisle looked sorrowful, almost repentant. "We appreciate your concern," he said. "But we cannot force you to fight with us. It is our family's problem; it is only fair that we take care of it ourselves."

Tanya looked offended. "You _are_ family," she comforted."We will do everything we can to help." Without giving Carlisle a chance to reply, she turned to face me, her eyes curious. "So this is Bella?"

My surprise must have shown on my face, because she laughed and explained, "Alice explained on our way here." She held out her hand. "I'm Tanya."

I reached out to shake her hand, slightly muddled at the relationship between my family and hers. Before I had time to ask, a woman with long, pale, corn silk blond hair took Tanya's place.

"I'm Kate," she said smiling. "This is Carmen -" a woman with black hair and a hint of an olive tone in her chalky complexion "- Eleazar -" a man with the same dark hair and skin as Carmen "- and Irina -" A woman with straight, silvery blond hair. They all had dark gold eyes, I realized. Like the Cullens' but a few shades blacker, as if someone had poured black paint into a bucket of molten gold. I suddenly remembered my morning with Edward . . . :

_"What color are my eyes?" he had asked lightly._

_"Gold?" had been my reply._

_"Exactly," Edward had confirmed. "It is our diet that makes our family so unique to the vampire world. Our eyes are gold because we don't drink human blood, like those whose eyes are red. We only feed on animals." _

It had seemed so long ago, another lifetime, when my most pressing worry had been the fire in my throat and the blood I needed to quench it. I felt more reassured, knowing that Tanya's family were also those who fed on animals.

Once Irina had backed away, I waited, expecting them to introduce themselves to my adopted siblings too, but instead, Tanya turned to Carlisle and began to discuss plans about the wolves.

"Wait," I interrupted shyly. "Do you know eachother already?"

Tanya and Carlisle exchanged a glance. "There's no time," Carlisle finally said. "Let us leave the explanation for later."

I felt embarassment rise in me at my selfishness.

"Sorry," I mumbled. Edward squeezed my hand and with a start, I realized that our fingers were still entwined. Carlisle turned his attention back to Tanya and they continued.

"How many of them did you say there were?" Tanya was asking, her deep gold eyes calculating.

"Ten."

"So that's not a problem," she mused aloud. "We would probably beat them if we fight." Carlisle sighed. His gold eyes were full of an ancient sadness as he replied.

"But at what cost?"

My stomach jerked as I realized his meaning. Our numbers gave us an advantage, but it would still be too even. Some of us wouldn't survive. My eyes roamed over the room. How could I take it? The loss of so many . . . Renee and Phil, gone forever already. They were my family . . . Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice . . . and Edward.

Would I lose all of them in a single day?

**I know, really short chapter. . . **

**Maybe one more before school starts . . .**

**-Scribbles **


	9. Chapter 8: Agreement

**Disclaimer: If Stephenie Meyer waited this long to update, she would sooo not be alive by now . . .**

**I have been resurrected! Longer AN at bottom.**

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_A brief summary: Bella was visiting Washington with her mother and stepfather when a car accident killed Phil and Renee, and forced Carlisle to change Bella into a vampire. She has shown a remarkable amount of self control when Edward took her hunting, and revealed that her vampire talent was to control the barriers of others' mind. Bella then realizes that she is already in love with Edward, but Edward seems to hate her. After the other Cullen children left for school, Bella heard the thoughts of the wolf pack coming to the Cullen house to destroy her new family for breaking the treaty. The family returns, but realizes that Alice has disappeared. Soon, Alice comes home with the Denali family._

_"How many of them did you say there were?" Tanya was asking, her deep gold eyes calculating._

_"Ten."_

_"So that's not a problem," she mused aloud. "We would probably beat them if we fight." Carlisle sighed. His gold eyes were full of an ancient sadness as he replied._

_"But at what cost?"_

_My stomach jerked as I realized his meaning. Our numbers gave us an advantage, but it would still be too even. Some of us wouldn't survive. My eyes roamed over the room. How could I take it? The loss of so many . . . Renee and Phil, gone forever already. They were my family . . . Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice . . . and Edward._

_Would I lose all of them in a single day?_

Part I

Chapter 8: Agreement

"No."

The furious growl reverberated around the room, its angry tone a frightening contrast from the sober voices before.

"No," Jasper repeated, his honey eyes narrowed, his nostrils flaring as he glared murderously at his father. He had shifted so that Alice was hidden behind him, his body stiffened into a protective stance. "There must be a better way to do this. I won't lose Alice like that again." He tensed, his shoulders rigid, as if he were prepared to attack Carlisle if he disagreed. Edward growled at his brother's discourtesy.

Carlisle raised his hands, palms up. "Jasper," he stated calmly. "We don't have much of a choice. We could try to delay the fight long enough to reinstate the treaty, but it is too much of a risk; as soon as they arrive, we will be attacked."

The feral look in my foster brothers' eyes clearly stated that he was not convinced.

"_No!_" he snarled again, now a hint of menace in his voice. Alice gently placed her hand on his shoulder, but he only relaxed for half of a second, and even then only infinitesimally.

"Wait, wait," Alice soothed. "I have a plan."

All the eyes in the room immediately turned to her.

"Yes?" Tanya asked tersely.

To my surprise, Alice laughed lightly. "Calm down, will you all?" she teased. "It's all going to be fine!"

This time, Jasper was not the only who was unconvinced. Eleven pairs of dubious eyes gawked at the smiling vampire.

"Alice," Carlisle began slowly. "We could not possibly -"

"Alright!" Emmett interrupted, positively beaming. He stretched out his giant hand. Alice rolled her eyes and slapped his palm, foreseeing what he would say.

"I always knew my family was stronger than a bunch of mutts!" he crowed, his gold eyes aglow. He cracked his knuckles in anticipation of a fight. Rosalie smacked the back of his head, but the atmosphere lightened slightly. Alice sighed.

"Not _that_, you big - well, that's not exactly what I meant," she said disapprovingly. Emmett looked crestfallen, like child that had just been told Santa Claus was not real.

"Nice," Edward suddenly cut in approvingly.

"What?" I was completely confused.

"I know!" Alice exclaimed, clapping her hands. "And it took me only seven seconds to think out! Thank me . . ."

Edward laughed. "Thank you, Alice."

"Ok, then. So now all we need is to –"

"Will you cut that out?" Emmett grumbled. "I have absolutely no clue what you two are talking about."

Alice stuck her tongue out at her brother. "If you don't mind, I was going to explain before you started – oh, never mind." She turned to face Carlisle. "I have a plan."

"Hurry up and explain, Al, will you?" Emmett snapped. "We're all biting our tongues off here!"

He was ignored.

"Listen," Alice said hurriedly. "The last time we met with the Quileute tribe, we were able to negotiate a treaty with them, mainly because we outnumbered them. It was perfect timing that Tanya's family was near today, so –"

"So that we could outnumber them once again," Rosalie finished. "I like it."

The room rang with exclamations of approval, and Rosalie laughed at Emmett's expression.

"But – but!" he pouted. "I wanted to –"

A loud rapping came from the door.

It was the equivalent of stopping time. The entire room froze, and it seemed that even the curtains that had been fluttering in the evening breeze by the open window had ceased movement.

_Why not just knock the door down, Sam?_

If I had not been paralyzed by fear, I would have flinched. I had forgotten to close off my mind.

_Because,_ the authoritative one – Sam – answered with a hint of exasperation_, just because they have broken the treaty does not give us permission to knock down their door._

Silence.

Carlisle was the first to recover from the shock. He slowly left his spot by Esme's side, and walked to the front door. And then the spell was broken, and in a fraction of a second, the rest of us had gathered at the foot of the grand staircase, in front of the door.

"This is it," my new father murmured to the congregation gathered behind him. "We can do this." Then, carefully, in what I later recalled as human speed, his pale hand took hold of the door knob.

The vampire equivalent of adrenaline sped through my empty veins. What had I brought upon the previously fairy-tale-perfect family?

Desperate, I took advantage of possibly my last few seconds alive – even if as a vampire – to carve my new family's faces into my memory.

There was Alice, eyes blank, clinging to tall, leonine Jasper; beautiful Rosalie clutched in great Emmett's embrace, her gold eyes wide; slender Esme standing motionless at Carlisle's shoulder; dazzling Edward clasping my hand. Then my new friends – Tanya, Kate, Carmen, Eleazer, and Irina – all tense and prepared to fight. Why did I have the right to almost force them to die?

Carlisle's hand slowly, painfully slowly, turned the gold handle, and the grand front door edged open.

I could barely muffle my scream as the mahogany door was thrown wide open.

There was nothing even faintly human of the huge, snarling wolves that stood before us. Each had every feature of an alpha wolf in his prime, and their large, vivid amber eyes glared at us with all the hate of the devil himself. Their black lips were lifted, baring pale incisors longer and wider than my fist, and their noses were wrinkled with disgust.

I had expected, almost prepared myself, for something closer to the werewolves in Hollywood movies than these terrifying wild beasts. Try as I might, the only human I could pick out in the wolves' features were their clear eyes, calculating and intelligent. Otherwise, it was as if some god with a strange sense of humor had taken a magnifying glass and enlarged ten brawny wolves to a monstrous size.

One wolf, the largest, took a step forward, and I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from screaming in fear. His large dark eyes fell on me, narrowing with anger, and a quiet snarl left his lips. I shivered involuntarily.

After a long second, the wolf glanced away from me to stare at each member of my family and Tanya's. In his mind, I heard him swear.

_How the hell are we outnumbered again?_ he thought, furious. I recognized him as Sam. _Damn. We come here to destroy them, and we're gonna be annihilated instead…_

_Hey, we'll still fight them_, another voice thought. _I bet I could take two on my own._

I tensed, preparing myself for what seemed to be an inevitable fight.

It was at that instant that Carlisle stepped forward.

_No!_ I thought in horror. Was it normal of vampires to wish to commit suicide? Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Esme reach out for him, but Carlisle shook his head at her.

"My friends –" one of the wolves snarled at that "– it is my deep regret that we must meet with such hostility," Carlisle began quietly. "It was never my wish to break the treaty."

He went on to describe the car accident, and Renee's last request, and how he had simply acted without thinking. Hearing the full details of the last moments of my human life for the first time, I felt a fresh wave of love and loss for my mother.

"My family would be forever grateful," Carlisle concluded, "if you could be able to overlook this violation and recreate the treaty in peace." He fell silent.

The group of vampires tensed; this was the moment of truth. If the wolves agreed to leave in peace, we could all continue with our lives without more of this fear. If they denied our request, however… I tried futilely to keep from thinking of the possibility.

The great canines stood motionless, not an inch of their muscled forms giving away the turmoil that was their thoughts.

_He does speak sense..._

_Sense or not, they still broke the treaty._

_But did he really have a choice? It was the woman's death wish - _

_A treaty's a treaty. We'll be able to bring them down._

_I'll take the big one; Embry, you get the newborn..._

I was wild with terror at this point. Would I be able to hold my own against the monstrous beasts? My hand trembled in Edward's; his gave mine a reassuring squeeze. My nails dug into my palm of the tight fist that was the hand not in Edward's. I barely noticed the pain.

My legs had physically bent and prepared to leap into action, matching two of the wolves beside Sam, when the leader spoke out.

_Do not move._

His voice was different, powerful. The three words rang with a force so strong and commanding I had half a mind to fall on my knees and bow to him. A dark silver wolf did just that.

_We will not attack today._ Several of his pack grumbled at that, but Sam silenced them with a word. I felt my still heart begin to fill with a breathtaking, blinding hope.

_As much as I would rather not admit it, the bloodsucker's words do make sense. Even if they did not, I wouldn't risk the lives of half our pack to destroy them. Not one of the pack will harm the leeches unless they once again break the treaty. The treaty is reinstated. Let us leave._

Then, slowly, the enormous black wolf bowed his head at Carlisle. With a growl, he and the rest turned and fled into the darkening evening.

There was a long moment of shocked silence in the Cullen house.

"Is it... over?" Tanya finally whispered.

It was as if the certainty of the moment had at last sunk in, and suddenly the front hall was filled with relieved whoops. Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie, and three of the Denali females embraced, and Emmett clapped Eleazer on the back. Jasper pulled Alice in for a loving hug, and I heard him whisper to her, "You did it."

I was ecstatic. The danger was over, and peace could once again reign. My simple existence would not be the death of the great Cullens. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, and brought them so high my cheeks hurt.

My grin faltered when Edward released his hold on my hand. Utterly confused and a little more than slightly hurt, I watched with growing horror as he laughed, glorious in his happiness, and threw his arms around Tanya, who responded in kind.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. How could I have been so blind before? It was a classic tale of romance; gorgeous boy and model-perfect girl meet, families become best friends, boy and girl seperate for a time, and boy and girl fall in love, leaving a hopelessly plain new girl at the side looking on bitterly.

Ok, so the hopelessly plain girl was a new addition, but watching Edward and Tanya laughing together, I felt my heart shatter all over again.

Edward not loving me but being single, I could handle, because, selfishly, I didn't want any other girl to have him if I could not.

Edward not loving me but loving Tanya, however... If I could not even compare to her even with my newly heightened beauty, and her glowing personality made me look like a depressed maniac beside her, what chance did I have?

It was stupid to have thought that Edward could have felt even a shadow of love for me. But remembering his comforting arms around me, his soft voice soothing my anxiety, and his fierce belief that I was not at fault for the werewolves' attack, I had to struggle not to choke in jealousy. Tanya would get all of that; I would not.

It had all been his consciense in act; being the kind soul that he was, Edward would have obviously reached out to anyone in pain. It might have gone as far as brotherly love, but nothing past what siblings would have felt for each other.

My self-pity session was interrupted by Carlisle.

"Bella," he called, his voice soft, but still managing to capture the attention of all in the room. "Could you tell me exactly what the Quileute pack was thinking? I'd like to be certain that we're not in any immediate danger before we move on with our lives."

I nodded jerkily, dazed from the look on Tanya's face as she gazed at Edward (though Edward was too busy focusing on Carlisle to respond, which was a relief to my mangled heart) and relayed Sam's thoughts to Carlisle. My adopted father smiled grimly, looking satisfied.

"It is over."

The three simple words were spoken in the quiet confidence of Carlisle's voice, but they had the effect of a nuclear explosion. Cries of delight rang out again, even louder and happier than before as the threat of immediate extinction was removed for certain. Even I could not help myself from smiling when Alice and Rosalie attacked me, pulling me into the fray for an enormous three-way hug.

"Easy, Alice!" I gasped, laughing. "I prefer my ribs to be intact, thanks."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, lighten up, Bells," she teased. "You know what this means?"

More than a little frightened by the mischievous gleam in her eyes, I shook my head.

"We're buying you a car!"

I gaped at her. This was _not_ what I had been expecting.

"What?" I asked when I had found my voice.

"Oh, yes!" It was Rosalie who answered, a new light shimmering in her eyes. "We still have to get you a car!"

Assured that my ears had not malfuctioned and that they were serious, I shook my head, my eyes wide. Even if they _were_ my family, they would not be spending thousands so that I had a vehicle for my personal use.

"Don't argue, Bella," Edward cut in. I took a step backwards as he, Alice, and Rosalie advanced towards me, looking predatory. "You'll get a car, whether you want to or not."

"What about carpooling?" Even I could hear the tremor in my voice; the three of them looked truly like vampires for the first time. "Nice, energy efficient, good for the family..." I faltered as they took another step towards me.

"Not the point, Bella," Alice replied. "Every Cullen needs a car - it's tradition!"

I shook my head again, took another step backwards, and suddenly felt myself falling as my foot caught on the edge of the rug on the front entrance floor.

A fraction of a second later, I was in Edward's arms again and the entire family had burst into amused laughter. Embarrassed, I waited for the expected rush of blood to my cheeks before remembering that I had no blood. I yanked myself from Edward's grasp, mortified to be that close to him with my unrequited love.

"A clumsy vampire? I should've known," Edward teased, his chest shaking with laughter. Disgruntled, I straightened my rumpled clothes. It seemed that my aversion to human blood was not the only trait I had brought from my human life into forever. Just great - a vampire who tripped over her own feet. How could I even partially consider competing with Tanya now?

But as I took in the pure happiness on my family's faces, I could not help but smile back. All my worries seemed to lighten in the room's atmosphere of joy, and I laughed, feeling more content than I had in a long while.

* * *

**Before you flame me (feel free to, btw), ignore me, or otherwise violently wipe me off the face of the earth for not updating for a year, know this: My computer, for some idiotic reason, had banned me from being able to log in to Fanfiction. Trust me, I tried logging in about twice a day for the past year, but the computer is deathly stubborn and would not budge.**

**Then, yesterday (no clue why) it suddenly decided to allow access to once again. I am now physically jumping for joy :)**

**This is the longest chapter so far, so though it can't make up for the long wait, know that the next few chapters will come a bit more quickly; during my involuntary ban from FF, I've completed almost two entire chapters :] It'll also be easier for me to write, now that this suspense section's been finished (I SUCK at suspense x_x)**

**But either way, I solemnly and truthfully swear that I will never, ever, _ever_ take this long to update again.**

**I am extremely grateful to every reader who still read this chapter even after it was put on unofficial year-long hiatus. **

**--Scribbles**


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